Rory Gilmore and the boy Who Lived
by Golden Snitch1981
Summary: She was waiting to get into Chilton. She was supposed to go to Harvard and go on to become a Journalist. But then she received an owl from Hogwarts. Rory Gilmore's whole life was about to change... A Harry Potter-Gilmore Girls Crossover You will Love.
1. Chapter 1 A Perfectly Ordinary Day

I do not own any of the characters in this story. They remain the property of J.K. Rowling, and Amy Sherman Palledino, as well a WB. I only own the scenarios, I put them in.

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It was a perfectly ordinary day, one like any other in Stars Hollow. The town was aflutter as folk went about their everyday business. The town square was packed with various volunteers plastering banners and posters everywhere possible, while Tayler Doose hollered at them to inch this a little to the left and raise one end of that a little higher. It was not unusual to Kirk to hover around him.

Across the street a woman and a small girl entered Luke's Diner and took their usual table. Immediately the child dug a book out of her backpack, opened it and began to read oblivious to her mother's obvious flirting with Luke Danes, who owned the Diner.

Strangers marveled at the way the girl could concentrate in spite of whatever was happening around her, but to those who knew her it was not uncommon for Rory Gilmore to bury her head in a book, even in the strangest of places. She loved to read and had an equal love for learning. For that reason she was the top student in her class at Stars Hollow Elementary, unparalleled by any other student.

She had read every Jane Austin novel by the time she was seven and this barely put a dent in her collection. Everyone in the town knew that Rory was bound to succeed, no one, not even the little girl herself, knew just what her destiny would be...

Everyone but Rory was standing at the window watching something in the street and Luke began to curse the owl they were all watching as it followed Miss Patty and Babette into the Diner. With a flap of it's wings it landed on the table in front of Rory who was too caught up in her book to notice. Lorela, however noticed the strange bird and the envelope, addressed to 'Rory Gilmore' firmly grasped in it's beak.

"Look, Rory!" she exclaimed tapping her daughter on the shoulder. "It has a letter addressed to you."

Finally Rory looked up and noticed and was taking the envelope from its beak and opened it with a look of confusion. She opened it and skimmed the letter it contained, then moments later screwed it up, marched across the busy diner and tossed it in the trash.

"Ridiculous!" she muttered as she returned to her seat. "As if I would fall for that!"

"What was that all about?" asked a concerned Lorelai.

"Rubbish and nonsense," her daughter answered and buried her head in her book again.

Almost on she,s another owl snuck in and perched beside the first one, infuriating Luke. Rory ignored it and kept reading, but Lorelai was curious.

She took the envelope from the owl and opened it up. She scrunched her face up as she read the strange letter with the curious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry letterhead. "They can't be serious!" she exclaimed. At that moment she was mentally flicking through the many ways she could deal with the matter of looked like an intricate plan cooked up, undoubtedly by Rory's classmates to upset and annoy her. She handed the latter to Luke who was standing with his hands on his hips, smoke practically blowing from his ears, surveying the owl situation, his irritation escalating, rapidly.

He nodded as he read, silently and paused for half a minute. "Oh, they are good," he said incredulously. "The imagination these kids surprise me."

"I know!" Lorelei agreed. "If they spent half as much energy and time on their school work as they did with these stupid letters, they would probably be better at it instead of having to be so jealous of Rory!"

Rory glanced at her mother and Luke, hoping the fuss over her would soon end. Soon it did, but not before many more owls arrived with the same letter, stating that Rory Gilmore had been accepted into Hogwarts and was expected to travel to England in the Fall to attend first year classes. Like the others before, Rory tossed them in the trash and had reached boiling point when yet another owl arrived. Tearing up the letter, she stormed out of Luke's Diner and ran until she reached home, and locked herself in her room adjacent to the kitchen, bolting her window shut. Owls landed in hundreds, lining the trees, fences and railings each with a yellowing envelope with fancy green handwriting.

She buried her head under her pillow so she wouldn't have to see them and remained there the whole day wishing they would all go away. In the hall, Rory could hear the phone ring and her mother's frazzled voice as she answered it.

A moment later Lorelei was knocking on the bedroom calling Rory to take the call.

Hesitantly Rory held the phone to her ear and whispered a "Hello."

"Hello Rory," Emily Gilmore's sharp voice greeted her granddaughter. In her short life, Rory had learned quickly that when Emily called you answered no matter what was happening in your life.

"Did you get the letter yet?" Emily asked.

A shiver ran through Rory's body. "How did you know about those?"

"It's a long story, best explained over dinner."

Rory held the phone away from her, cupping the mouthpiece. "Granma knows about the letters," Lorelei's eyes widened as her daughter spoke. "She wants us to go to dinner tonight so she can 'explain' them. Lorelei snatched the phone from Rory and another awkward conversation of politeness preceded the demand that Lorelei bring the girl to dinner, that combined the usual guilt trip with an all knowing air, that intrigued Lorelei just enough to agree.

Before they knew it the Gilmore girls were suitably dressed, ready and in Lorelei's Jeep on the way to Hartford for a much dreaded visit to see Richard and Emily Gilmore.

They soon arrived and as Lorelei stood before the large wooden doors, alongside Rory, the memories flooded back – the stuffy dinner parties and the army of maids who carried out their work under the disapproving eye of Emily, one which rested on Lorelei's shoulders, constantly. As she reached out to ring the large bell she prayed the bell wasn't working so she and Rory could turn around and run from this house which screamed disapproval. It seemed to be mocking her as the bell rang out louder than ever in the stark night air. She braced herself for what would inevitably follow. Sure enough, a maid in a grey and white uniform opened the doors and invited the guests in, while Emily barked at the birdlike woman that she was doing everything wrong! The maid took the girls' coats from them and Emily guestured for them to follow her into the sitting room. "Run!" whispered Lorelei to the maid when Emily was out of earshot. "Run while you can!"

The maid scowled and hurried off to see to one of the many things Emily expected done around the mansion. Nothing short of perfection was what Emily expected and often maids (and Lorelei) fell short of expectation with dire consequences. For the maids it ment the loss of a job, but for Lorelei this meant wearing the burden of her mother's constant disappointment, something she had learned to endure on her twice yearly visits.

Rory however loved the beautiful big house in which her grandmother lived and loved the praise her grandparents showered her with as opposed to the quips and tongue lashings they dished out to their daughter.

To be a squib was one thing, but in their eyes, to fall pregnant out of wedlock at such an age was abominable. At sixteen, Lorelei had brought shame upon the Gilmore name, according to Richard and Emily, not to mention forced them to watch their hopes and dreams for Emily go up in smoke.

Respected in the social and business, not to mention the wizarding worlds, Emily and Richard learned to adapt to their daughter's lack of powers. Her life had been planned for her. She would attend Charlatan and then, as Gilmores had done for many generations, go on to Yale and study business and economics. Lorelei's 'irresponsibility' and ended all hope for the Gilmores, something which she was reminded of every time she visited. This visit would be no different.

Emily's mood however seemed light and she fussed over Rory, more so than usual. Receiving the letter had made Rory the great white hope of the Gilmore clan.

They settled in with their cocktails, Rory with a soda, and after the usual tongue lashing she gave Lorelei for not calling or visiting with Rory, she turned her focus on the child and smiled sweetly.

"So, Rory," She said with a much softer tone. "You got your letter, how nice. Isn't it great, Richard, she's going to Hogwarts!"

"She's what?"

"I'm what?" they exclaimed at the same time.

"Have you finally lost your mind?" Lorelei continued.

"No I have not lost my mind, Lorelei, I am quite serious actually. You never told Rory about us?" Emily turned to Richard. "She is so determined to run away from us and our way of life, that she has to hide the truth from her daughter!"

"Mom –"

"What were you expecting, Lorelei? Did you really think that that little girl would be just like you and be content with that?"

"Harsh, Mom! It wasn't like that at all!"

"Really? How was it, then? Please tell me Lorelei I am just dying to know!" The leathery faced woman pursed her lips and glued her eyes on Lorelei's face, waiting for an answer which was expected to bring great amusement to Emily.

"I was trying to protect her from all of this until she was ready!" Lorelei screamed.

The arguing continued as Rory darted her eyes around the room, wishing it would all stop. Finally Richard raised his hands and yelled "Enough!"

Everyone stopped and faced Mr. Gilmore who promptly spoke. "What's important now, Emily, Lorelei, is that Rory understands what all of this means."

"Yes, Richard," Emily said and began to explain to Rory, what it all meant.


	2. Chapter 2 Goodbye Stars Hollow

Rory was in awe of the stories her grandparents told her and Lorelei about their time at Hogwarts including the curious giant Rubeus Hagrid, who was in Emily's year, but was expelled for mysterious reasons. They also spoke of one Tom Riddle, the reserved boy who Richard briefly befriended.

"It's rather heartbreaking, what happened to that boy. Very sad indeed," Richard said wistfully.

"Well, Richard, that boy chose his path," Emily rebutted. "What a waste."

"What happened to him?" Rory asked.

"One day when you're older, we'll tell you." Richard answered.

Allthrough they talked on and on making Rory more excited about this new school she would attend. She especially couldn't wait to tell Lane about Hogwarts. Lane Kim was her best friend at Stars Hollow Elementary. Right from when they were in Kindergarten, they spent every spare minute together, doing homework and listening to music on the many CDs Lane hid from Mrs. Kim.

"Oh my god! Lane!" Rory yelped, suddenly on the trip home, when she realised she'd be leaving Lane behind in Stars Hollow. Tears began to fall.

"It's okay, Hon. You'll see her during the holidays." Lorelei said in a feeble attempt to console her daughter, but inside she was crying at the thought of losing her daughter for nine months of the year for seven years. She felt that in a small way, her parents had succeeded in taking Rory away from her.

"It won't be the same!" Rory sobbed.

"I know," Lorelei agreed, before realising Rory was refering to Lane. "But just think of all the wonderful things you'll learn."

"Did you go to Hogwarts? What's it like there?"

"I didn't get to go." Lorelei answered. "Only really powerful kids go to schools like Hogwarts. The rest of us become a shame to our parents."

"What do you mean?" Asked a confused Rory.

"Well for witches and wizards to raise non magical children is the biggest embarrassment, possible. I was Richard and Emily's big embarrassment."

"You're not an embarrassment to me, Mom." Rory told her mother.

"That's why you're such an amazing kid."

"Well, it's all because of you." Rory's words made Lorelei smile. She always seemed to know the right thing to say.

The next day Rory went to Lane's. She said a ploite 'hello' to Mrs. Kim before dragging Lane up to her room to tell her the news away from the ears of Lane's mother. Rory learned very early the things Mrs. Kim dissaproved of. The short Korean woman was a devout Christian, who believed the Cookie Monster represented gluttony, one of the ten deadly sins. Rory knew that a magic school such as Hogwarts was not something Mrs. Kim needed to know about.

"You will not believe what happened!" Rory exclaimed, as soon as the door was closed and barred with Lane's wooden chest. "All these owls kept flying into Luke's, yesterday - "

"I heard about that, something about them carrying envelopes?" Lane cut in.

"Yes, and they drove Luke insane! Anyway, when I opened them up, I thought it was a practical joke. They all had the same message about this school of magic, but then Grandma called and now, I'm going to Hogwarts in the Fall!" Lane sat there for a moment, stunned. Then suddenly she squealed and Rory joined in.

"Cool!" cried lane, but her face fell when Rory told her the school was in England and that she'd have to live there during the school terms. Wanting to be happy for her best friend, she put on a brave face. "We can see each other in Summer and at Christmas."

"Yeah and we can write, too," agreed Rory.

"So when do you leave?" Lane asked after another long pause.

"We leave for England, tomorrow, then I start school the following Monday."

As she said those words, Rory felt a wave of sadness wash over her. It lingered with her as she spent what would be her last afternoon with her best friend, for a long time.

The next morning, the Gilmore home was Panic Central, as Rory and Lorelei hurried to gather the last of Rory's school trunk. Neither of them noticed their visitors arrive without warning. Emily and Richard were standing in the kitchen, afraid to move in case one of the many items on the benchtop jumped on them. Their sudden appearance startled Lorelei, who gasped.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here? This isn't the best time, since Rory and I have plane to catch."

"A plane, Lorelei?" Emily asked, winking at her husband.

"Rory's starting school, soon and we have books to buy. Given that the school is in England, how else are we going to get there in time?" Lorelei asked, annoyed by her parents' unannounced visit.

"There is another way, Lorelei." Emily suggested. "Richard, take Lorelei's arm and I'll take Rory.

Don't forget their things, will you." Rory took her Grandmother's arm and held tight as the room began to spin. The seconds felt like hours, but soon enough they landed in Diagon Ally. Moments later Richard and Lorelei arrived minus Rory's trunk.

"Richard, I told you not to forget the luggage."

"Emily, I didn't. If you must know, I stopped at a hotel to drop it off. You didn't seriously think I would lug it around Diagon Ally, did you?"

Emily waved him away, "Of course not Richard. Come along now, Rory, Lorelei." They began at Gringotts, where they exchanged their American dollars for Wizard money. Rory clutched her mother's hand as they were guided to a vault by a strange goblin.

"Don't be afraid, Rory." Her grandfather reassured the frightened child when he noticed her cling to her mother for dear life. "They cannot hurt you, here. The Ministry would not allow it."

Still Rory would not let go. As the tiny cart carried the Gilmores to their vault, they passed another goblin opening a large vault for an even larger man and a small boy with thick black glasses and a messy mop of black hair, wearing rags.

"Look at that filthy child!" Emily scoffed, causing the boy to crane his neck to look over his shoulder. "Honestly, a boy of his so called fame could have dressed a bit better."

"Isn't that - "

Emily cut her daughter off, "Harry Potter, the boy who lived."

"Rumour has it, that boy will be starting school this year, too." Richard piped up.

"Really? Did you hear that, Rory? You're going to have a celebrity in your class!" Lorelei exclaimed, making Rory's eyes widen with intrigue by the messy haired boy.


	3. Chapter 3 An owl, a train and a Hat

Rory thought the afternoon was magic as her grandparents took her to be fitted for her school robes and then to the bookstore, where Rory pawed over books on subjects she had never dreamed of. Soon the Gilmores managed to drag the child out of the bookstore and into Mr. Olivander's to buy a wand for school. As they walked out, the small boy with glasses passed them on his way in. It was then that Rory noticed the scar on his forehead as well as a sadness in his eyes, shielded by cracked spectacles. She smiled as she passed him and he returned the smile.

"Come along, Rory. We have one more stop before your grandfather must return to the States," Emily cut into her thoughts of the Potter boy. She then led them all to a lovely store with cages on the street outside the doors, which housed assorted owls.

It was there, that Richard and Emily picked out a barn owl for Rory so she wouldn't have to bothered with "retched" school owls.

"Now you can write to us back home." Richard said to the awe struck Rory.

Rory smiled, thanked her grandparents and gave them each a hug.

With the owl, her wand and strange text books, Rory couldn't wait to start school.

The following Sunday, the Gilmores stood in front of the large pillar between Platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station. Rory puzzled over the instructions on the letter about the school train that was due to leave from Platform 9 3/4. Hundreds of children were seen charging toward the very pillar Rory was staring at and just when she would wince at the inevitable impact they would simply disappear.

"It's not as scary as it looks. I've read about it." Rory was surprised to hear this from a fuzzy haired girl who looked about Rory's age. Rory stared at the girl, who apart from her obvious hair issues was quite pretty. The girl extended a hand to Rory.

"I'm Hermione Granger and you are?"

"Rory. Rory Gilmore." Rory took Hermione's hand and they shook. "So you said you read about this?" Rory gestured to the pillar.

"Sure. It's in Hogwarts: A History. Surely you've attempted to read it." Hermione's bore into Rory's face, anticipating the response.

"Well, I read a little bit, but since we've never been to England, Mom thought we could do some sightseeing. I was hoping to get some reading in on the train." Hermione's jaw dropped. She'd never known any other child that read half as much as she did. Rory was just as impressed that Hermione had read all of a text book before the beginning of school.

"Hey, where are your parents?" Lorelei asked the little girl who seemed to have befriended her daughter.

"Oh! They're over there," Hermione said, pointing towards two confused looking people talking to a station master. "Mum! Dad! 9 3/4 is this way." Hermione's parents seemed relieved not to have to deal with the rude station master any longer, as they approached Hermione and the Gilmores. The introductions began and Richard and Emily shuffled uncomfortably as Lorelei made conversation with the Grangers. Just as they were talking the boy with the lightening scar approached with a large family, all of them with flaming red hair. The oldest boy was first to through the wall, followed by his twin younger brothers and then it was time for the youngest boy and Harry to go through the wall, leaving the frazzled mother and a sad little girl behind them.

"Mom, I think we're running out of time." Rory suddenly burst out.

"Oh yes, Rory. Time to go." Emily said before Lorelei could respond. "You'll need to go through there, and don't worry you'll be fine." Richard instructed. "We'll have to stay here."

Without a hint of fear Hermione disappeared through the pillar and Rory knew it was her turn to go through. She ran with her bags and squeezed her eyes shut as she approached the wall, still expecting a collision. Instead, nothing she was running through the wall onto Platform 9 3/4 where Hermione waited for her. All around her children were scurrying onto the carriages with their bags, books and animals. The loud whistle blew and Hermione was dragging Rory and their bags. "Come on! We're going to miss it."

Gathering her wits, Rory began to run towards the train. With seconds to spare they climbed aboard with their things and went to look for an empty car. They soon found one and entered. No sooner had they entered when they each sat, dug through their bags for a book which they each opened and began to read.

The noise around them of kids in the other cars jumping around soon faded as Rory delved deeper into the Hogwarts: A History text, but Hermione was not so content with her Potions text.

"They are so noisy out there. Doesn't it annoy you, Rory?" Rory was too engossed in her book to care. Hermione slammed her book on the seat and stood with a huff. "I'm going to see what the fuss is about." She opened the door into the main carriage and slipped out, while Rory read on. It was only when the candy cart arrived that Rory was pulled from the depths of her book and noticed that the other girl was gone. Rory paid for some candy and then went to explore. In the next car, a pale white haired boy, two fatter dark haired boys and a piggy faced girl were laughing at something. There was something about those boys that scared her, although the pale one intrigued her. He spotted her through the pane and scowled at her. Rory didn't feel like sticking around so she went to find Hermione. On the way she ran into an asian looking girl, whose hair passed the middle of her back. "Hi," Rory said.

"Hi," The girl replied. "I'm Cho. Are you a first year?"

Rory nodded. "Are you?"

Cho chuckled, "No, I'm in second. Welcome to Hogwarts. You'll like it here."

They chatted briefly before Rory excused herself ro continue her quest to find Hermione.

She soon found her in the car with Harry Potter and the youngest of the red haired boys she had spotted earlier. "There you are!"

"Hi, Rory." Hermione replied. "This is Harry and..." she guestured to the other boy, whose name she had clearly forgotten.

"I'm Ron Weazley. Pleased to meet you, Rory." The freckle faced boy said.

"Ron, here, was just doing a spell. It was disasterous!" Hermione explained, rolling her eyes.

"Well show us how it's done." Ron barked.

"Fine I will!" she accepted the challenge and drawing her wand from her robe, she turned to face Harry. "Occulus Reparo!" she chanted, with a flick of her wrist and instantaneously, the crack in Harry's lens dissappeared and a stunned Harry was thanking Hermione for fixing them.

Almost too soon, the train trip was over and they had been rowed accross the lake by Hagrid the giant who Rory had seen with Harry and they were standing in the great hall before a old hat. "That's the Sorting Hat,

" Hermione explained before Professor McGonagall confirmed it.

One by one each of the children were sorted into houses. Just like the children before her, Rory took a seat on the large chair. As soon as the hat touched her head, it screamed "RAVENCLAW!" and Rory made her way to Ravenclaw table and sat next to a mouse blonde girl, Rory remembered was 'Geller'. "I'm Rory," she introduced herself to the girl.

"Paris Geller," the girl replied and said nothing more. Rory watched her new friends each get sorted into Gryffindor. Suddenly she was bummed that none of her friends would be in the same house. "Hi Rory," another voice broke into her pout. She looked to the direction the voice was coming from and spotted, Cho, the girl from the train. As they began to chat, Rory began to cheer up.


	4. Chapter 4 Ravenclaw Rivalry

The first year flew by quickly and Rory's fears that being in a different house to Harry,

Ron and Hermione would prevent the new friendship from developing, were seemingly unfounded. Harry Potter and his friends were destined for greatness and everyone knew it, but their unwavering friendship grew stronger and Rory was also able to get to know Cho and Paris better, although a rivalry was also beginning to form between the two of them. This made rooming with Paris almost impossible on many occasions. It was especially bad when it was announced that the top three students were Hermione, Rory and Paris with two mere points separating all three of them. For a week, Rory and Hermione were religated to the top of the Paris Geller "hitlist" which Rory copped the brunt of. Every curse that Paris had perfected was hurled in Rory's direction including subtle ones that made all her clothes two sizes two small and her bed smell, forcing Rory to seek refuge in the Gryffindor common Room. She would wait until lights out and sneak down there and meet Ron, Hermione or Harry outside the portrait hole.

Then the four of them would giggle and swap stories of home until they finally lost the battle with fatigue and dropped off to sleep. Harry especially delighted in the stories Rory told them all about Star's Hollow and Lorelei, but it made him wistful, thinking of all the things he missed out on because his parents' deaths. Voldemort had made sur

When the three of them had some mysterious business to take care of, Hermione had slipped a note into Rory's Potions book which contained a password and instructions to quote the word to the fat lady in the portrait.

There was a stupified Neville Longbottom, sprawled on one of the chairs, with a confused look on his face. Rory giggled at the sight of him, not realising her friends had been the ones who had cast the spell. He barely gave Rory a nod, "goodnight", before sauntering off to bed. Without a second thought, Rory curled up on the red swede couch and fell asleep, only to be awakened by Professor McGonagall, asking what she was doing there.

"I uh, came in with Hermione," Rory answered, sitting up, believing it was sort of true. "I've been having trouble in my own dorm and Hermione thought it best, I stay here until things calm down."

The professor sat on the couch beside Rory. She seemed to understand what Rory meant by "trouble".

"Rory, no doubt, this a compitive environment and you will have to deal with rivalry among your peers. You are one our brightest pupils, and judging by your past school history, you are no stranger to this." Rory's eyes widened, as she listened to the woman who seemed to know everything about her. "But Rory, hiding from the problem will not solve it."

"Yes, Professor," Rory responded, knowing she was right. She didn't know how, but she needed to face Paris, before it got out of hand. How hard could it be? We were friends, thought Rory.

McGonagall broke into Rory's thoughts, again. "You can stay, tonight, but tomorrow you need to return to your dorm and Rory, anytime you need to talk, I am happy to listen." Rory nodded, suprised that her transfiguration teacher, who was usually so stern, had been truly understanding towards Rory. McGonagall's eyes clouded over with worry. "As for Miss Granger, do you know where she went?" Rory shook her head, no.

"She's gone with Harry and Ron somewhere. She said they needed to take care of something."

She stood, quickly, muttering, "I figured as much," under her breath. "Thank you, Miss Gilmore." Then she briskly walked through the portrait hole and dissappeared.

Once again Rory curled up and went to sleep. Then in the early ours of dawn, she was shaken awake by Hermione. "Rory, we did it!" she squealed. "We found the stone!"

"Stone?" moaned Rory. "What stone?" She didn't understand what Hermione was squealing about and it took mere seconds for Hermione to realise none of them had mentioned the philosopher's stone to Rory.

"Oh, Merlin! Rory, I am so sorry, I didn't tell you, it just that - ,"

"It's okay," Rory cut her off, "Really, it's okay." As much as she shrugged it off, for Hermione's benefit, she couldn't shake the hurt she was feeling. They had purposely left Rory out of the life altering experience.

Watching them together at the Gryffindor table during supper that night, it was evident that whatever they had been through had brought the three of them together and Rory felt less and less like she belonged. How could she? She was a Ravenclaw, chosen for her intelligence, not bravery, like her Gryffindor friends.

Accross from Rory Paris' glares bore into her. Our eyes met and she smirked.

"Paris," I said evenly. "Get over it!" The smirk disappeared and she dropped her gaze to her plate of roast chicken and vegetables.

"Well said, Rory!" Cho exclaimed.

That night Rory slept in her dorm in peace, without a single curse from the sullen Paris, who lay in the bed beside hers.

That summer, owls dropped mail to Rory, a two line letter from Ron, a much fuller letter from Hermione and an invitation from Cho to stay with her family the last two weeks of Summer, which she later respectfully declined, but nothing from Harry Potter. Rory didn't understand why this upset her so much. It was only when she talked to Lane that it dawned on her. Actually Lane had suggested it after Rory filled her in on everything she had gone through at school and the letters she received from her friends, all accept Harry. "You like him!" Lane squealed.

"Like who?" asked Lorelei who heard the girls talking.

"Rory's got a crush on Harry Potter!" Lane said through a giggle.

"Rory! You like the scruffy kid?" Lorelei mockingly scoffed. "What would Richard and Emily say?"

Rory blushed. "It doesn't matter. He barely knows I exist, anyway."

Throughout the Summer, Hermione kept a hopeful eye on the sky for owls, particularly from Harry. Just when she thought there was no hope left, she received one a week out from the beginning of school. Hedwig flew through the kitchen window and landed gracefully on the table, where she was making herself a sandwich, and dropped the enveloped before her and squarked, for acknowledgement. Rory took a piece of bread from the fresh loaf, Sookie had baked and broke it into pieces for the white owl to eat. She then opened the letter in the privacy of her room and it read;

"Dear Rory, After yet another horrible Summer with the Dursleys, I am staying with the Weasleys, until school again. Can't wait for school to start and to see you again."

Rory sighed holding the letter to her chest. She sat there like that for a long time before placing the letter into middle of her diary. Then she penned a reply and tied it to the leg of Hedwig, who flew off with it, back to Harry.


	5. Chapter 5 The Insufferable Malfoys

The last Friday night, before they were to fly to England (the muggle way), Lorelei and Rory received a phone call from Emily. Rory barely held the phone to her ear, uttering a quick hello, when her grandmother launched herself straight into inviting the girls for dinner.

"Hold on, Grandma. I'll ask Mum." She lowered the phone and covered the receiver, while she whispered to Lorelei. "She wants us to have dinner, tonight at their house."

"Its up to you, sweety, if you really want to go, we can." Lorelei crossed her middle and index fingers behind her back hoping Rory would opt to stay home and hang out. Rory returned the receiver to her ear and spoke.

"We'll be there, Grandma." Rory said and as always, when her parents were involved, Lorelei's heart sank to her toes.

"Good, we'll see you at 7:00 sharp." Emily replied. "Also, the Malfoys will be there, their son attends your school, so dress nicely and tell your mother to do the same."

"Yes, Grandma," Rory said, wishing she had said no to dinner with the Grandparents. She hung up the phone with a groan.

"Great! We're having dinner with one of the most horrible families in the whole Wizardimg world!" She marched through to her room and flopped on the bed. A bewildered Lorelei followed her and stood at the doorway, admiring Rory's clean room and thankful that she didn't turn out a slob like mother. All her bookshelves were not only tidy, but catalogued. Lorelei wished their was more space for the rest of her books. Instead they were stashed away in draws and catalogued.

"I know Grandma and Grandpa's friends are obnoxious, but we usually survive." Lorelei, even though she was trying desperately to cheer her daughter, clearly didn't get what Rory meant.

"Mom, the Malfoys are not just obnoxious! They are downright mean. Their "beloved" son is a monster! He's been so horrible to everyone, especially Harry!"

"Rory, I'm sorry you got tricked, but what would Richard and Emily say if we suddenly backed out of dinner?"

Rory hated to admit her mother was right. Backing out of dinner with Richard and Emily was impossible.

So at 6:58 Rory rang the doorbell and within seconds, yet another new maid let them in and took their coats. A white haired couple and their pale faced son were already there sipping cocktails, the man was talking business and stocks with Richard and the woman looked bored as she listened to Emily natter on about the latest D.A.R. Fundraiser. Draco was reclined in Richard's chair watching the scene with amused frustration. He hated anything to do with muggles and didn't understand why his parents were wasting their time talking about such filth. What puzzled him more was that this obviously pureblooded couple, were enthrawled with all things muggle. Clearly, he thought, they were no better than those bloodtraiter Weasleys, back home.

Now he was to endure a night with them, their squib daughter and Grand daughter.

Rory eyed the boy, warily as she sat on the three seater with her mother.

"Narcissa, Lucius, this is Rory."

The woman looked at Rory and seemed to approve.

"Lovely to meet you, Rory," they each greeted her.

"I believe you are about to begin your second year at Hogwarts, is that correct?" Lucius asked. Rory nodded. "Then you probably knownow young Draco, here," he continued, gesturing to the boy rising from Richard's chair to greet her.

The boy extended his hand, with feigned interest and Rory shook it, though everything about the boy irked her. "Pleasure to meet you," he said with a sickeningly sweet voice.

"You, too," Rory returned the greeting.

Draco returned to where he was sitting and Rory took her place beside her mother. She felt safe as long as Lorelei was there. Already she couldn't wait for dinner to be over.

"So Rory, how do you like Hogwarts, so far?" Narcissa asked.

"It's great! I love it!" Rory answered. "I've made some great friends."

"So I hear," Emily piped up, not hiding her dissapproval.

"That Potter boy will bring you nothing but misery," Lucius said, snidely. "You'll do well to stay away from him and the mudblood, Granger."

"Mudblood?" asked Rory. Now she was really confused, on top of the anger that was rising in her chest.

"He means Hermione. I'll explain later" Lorelei whispered.

"Perhaps Draco can introduce you to the right sort of people. You will do that, won't you, son," Richard suggested.

"Sure, Mr. Gilmore," said Draco in his best "Richie Rich" voice.

At that moment Rory was reaching boiling point.

"Thanks, but I can pick my own friends," Rory said and Lorelei beamed with pride. In that moment she knew she'd raised her daughter right. She was loyal and willing to stick up for her friends, who she knew were good people. After all, didn't Rory's friends save the school, recently, from that dark wizard, Voldemort? They also protected her, by keeping her out of it all. They clearly cared about her and for that Lorelei was glad.

"Rory, the Malfoys were just trying to help you and get you into the right crowd." Emily said. "You should be grateful!"

"I don't want their help! My friends are good people!"

"A mudblood, a blood traitor and a halfblood are not suitable friends, Rory. Soon you'll learn that." Richard lectured, not realising he and Emily were crossing all sorts of boundaries with their Grand daughter.

"Grandma, Grandpa, I'm a half blood, too, in case you've forgotten and frankly I've had enough of these people dictating my choice of friends. They are evil and mean and I am ashamed that my own grandparents even give them the time of day!" She was pointing at each of the Malfoys by this stage and they stared at her horrified. Both Richard and Emily reeled as if they had been slapped. Draco could no longer hide his amusement and was laughing to himself. "Mom, I don't want to be here. I want to home! Can we go?"

"You don't have to ask me twice, kid." Lorelei said, fuming as she stood and headed for the door.

"Lorelei! LORELEI!" Emily called after them, but they kept walking until they reached Lorelei's Jeep.

The whole trip back to Stars Hollow, they were silent. Rory stared out the window, while Lorelei gripped the wheel as if it might try to escape.

Twenty minutes later, Lorelei pulled into the drive and shut the engine off. Immediately they faced each other and at the same time blurted, "I can't believe them!" and then, "I know!"

"So, Luke's or Pizza?" Lorelei asked.

"How about Luke's." Rory answered. They climbed out of the car an walked the short distance to Luke's.


	6. Chapter 6 An Eventful Day

"Come on, Rory, You're going to miss the train!" Hermione cried, but Rory Remained by the side of the train, waiting.

"Where's Harry? He should be here now." Rory was anxious, although Hermione had no clue why.

"Oh, he's probably off with Ronald. I bet they're already on the train, barring a car for us. Look, there's Percy!" Hermione spotted one of the older Weasley brothers walking up the isle of the train, rousing on a bunch of third years to stop fighting. He spotted Hermione and strutted up.

"Hi, Granger, - GILMORE!" He paused mid flirt. "Get on the train already! We've already got two Hooligans facing Expulsion. We don't need a third one for missing the school train."

"Who got expelled?" asked Rory, abandoning her wait for Harry to board the train.

Percy's face changed to his best shocked "You really don't know?" expressions. "Well they haven't been, yet, but after the antics my brother and that bloody Potter pulled, its inevitable they will."

"I knew those boys would wind up expelled one day. The make me mad, the pair of them," Hermoine scoffed.

Rory was extremely confused. "What did they do?"

Percy gestured towards the cars, which were crammed with young witches and wizards. "Well they didn't get on the bloody train! They're probably out there," he pointed to the platform, "gallivanting around Diagon Ally and Knockturn Ally, not to mention god knows where else instead of getting on the train to go to school. Mum and Dad will not be happy I can guarantee that."

Rory didn't buy it. There must have been a reason the boys hadn't got on the train. She just didn't know what it was. Suddenly Rory was very worried for Harry, for she knew he would have nowhere else to go if he was expelled. He hated living with the Dursleys and Hogwarts was his only sanctuary from them. Why he would risk it all, by doing something that he would face expulsion for was unfathomable. "There has to be an explanation," she whispered to Hermione as the girls found a car with just one other student inside. "Oh, Hey Neville," she greeted the boy as they sat.

Neville cringed a little before returning the greeting and then he saluted Hermione. Neville never forgot being stupefied by Hermione in First year. He learnt instantly in that moment, never to get in the way of the Trio's plans.

The train reached the school hours later and the children were met by horseless carriages to cart them the rest of the way to school. This was a different experience than Hagrid's row boats, the year before. She and Hermione had climbed aboard the same carriage as Cho and Paris, who seemed to have forgotten her grudge from the year before. She smiled as she greeted Rory and Hermione and Cho gave a quick wave.

There were alot of whispers about Harry, Ron and their pending expulsion from school, though it seem no one knew exactly what prevented them from boarding the train and why, even as they entered the school building, there was no sign of the missing boys. Rory's stomach was churning with worry and the same worry seemed to be etched across Hermione's face. "I'll kill them!" she thought she heard her friend say, although Hermione's lips never moved.

It was only when they were all in the middle of dinner, after the sorting, that the boys crept in sheepishly, looking disheveled and took their seats next to a fuming but relieved Hermione. Relief washed over Rory, also, as she caught Harry's eye and he winked. This set off a swarm of butterflies in her stomach and she blushed.

Cho nudged Rory and winked at Paris. "I think someone has a crush!"

Rory's face grew redder. Right away she commenced shovelling her dinner into her mouth, not noticing the timid blond first year, sitting on the other side of her.

However Cho did. "You're Luna aren't you?" she asked the girl, who practically jumped out of her skin. Rory turned to the girl who nodded vigorously.

"I'm Rory," she piped up, "This is Cho and accross the table is Paris."

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Cho said. Paris said nothing. The introductions flowed down the long table and that was when Rory noticed Cedric Diggory, a fifth year staring at Cho. Payback time, she thought and nudged Cho. "That boy likes you."

Cho blushed as her eyes followed the direction Rory was pointing. He looked away. "He does not!"

"He was looking at you." Rory knew the look Cedric was giving Cho. Back home she watched her mother and the diner guy, Luke exchange the same look. Rory called it the 'I like you but I don't want you to know' look. "I think he might be shy."

Cho giggled. "Who, him? I don't think so."

Cedric Diggory was the seeker and captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, as well as a prefect. It was hard for Cho to imagine Cedric, shy. He was very much like...

She looked over at the Gryffindor table, where akl the boys were slapping Harry's and Ron's backs, cheered and laughed while Hermione scowled at them. Harry, although he was a mess, looked amazing to Rory. In spite of everything he had been through, he looked Radiant.

The flame haired girl from the station, the previous year was sitting across from Harry, gazing dreamily at him. The girl she remembered was Ron's sister and she appeared to have a crush on her, but he didn't seem to notice her through the blinding flashes of some dweeby first year boy's camera. Harry glared at the boy, who flashed the camera again, oblivious.

It was clear to Rory, that Harry was a celebrity in their school and he did seem to know Rory existed at that moment.

After dinner was overRory ran to catch up with Harry and Ron. "Harry!" where were you? I was beginning to worry!" she cried.

"We couldn't get on the platform so we drove." Harry explained.

Rory laughed, incredulous. "You drove?"

"Well Ron did, in his Dad's flying car."

"Which was smashed by this horrible tree! Then the car threw us out and our luggage." Ron cut in.

"No way!" Rory exclaimed.

They continued ranting about how the tree picked them up and threw them around, until Hermione interrupted, storming up to the group firing, "Well, I hope you're pleased. You could have been killed, or worse, expelled. Off to bed, the both of you. Oh goodnight, Rory," her voice softened, before she stormed ahead.

"That girl really needs to sort her priorities, out." Ron exclaimed.

Harry laughed. "Expelled!"

Rory left the Gryffindors and headed for her dorm, where she went straight to bed, with her defence againgst the dark arts text. This year she, Rory was determined to do well and to do that her knowledge of defence would have to improve. She wanted a head start, to make it easier.


	7. Chapter 7 Rory's Tutor

Ron's sister, Ginny was a very strange little girl. Every time Rory saw her she was sullen, or often in a faraway place and she wondered if she was okay. It was clear Ginny was infatuated with Harry, but he barely knew she was alive. Rory knew what that felt like. Even though we were good friends, Harry only ever saw Rory as just that, a friend. Each time he looked through her was agony. Ginny however looked haunted as she walked the castle.

When Professor Lockhart established the dueling club, Rory and Ginny were partnered and Ginny was surprisingly fierce in her delivery of spells as if she was taking down the only competition she knew she was up against. It was like she noticed what most people didn't that she wasn't the only one who wanted to be noticed by harry. "Shouldn't we stop them before they get seriously hurt?" Lockhart asked, but Snape waved him off.

"Let them continue," He said, "The dark Lord wouldn't give them mercy, why should we."

So the duel continued until some fifth year shot a patronus their way, forcing them both to fly backwards in the air. Ginny was the first to stand, shooting a glare at Rory, then the fifth year, who turned out to be Cedric Diggory, before she stormed out of the Hall. It was Cedric who was the first one by Rory's side to see if she was alright, but then he was joined by Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Sorry, Rory," Ron said. "My sister is a freak."

"She's okay, Ron." Rory replied. "I think she's going through something at the moment."

"Who, Gin? No way," Ron dismissed it. "She's just crazy. It's like she has a point to prove with everyone."

"She'll be okay." Harry reassured her. He didn't seem to have a clue and Rory wasn't going to be the one to tell him. They were walking to their next class, Ron and Hermione were arguing up ahead, when he looked at me and said, "You didn't do too badly yourself. You surprised me Rory."

All Rory could do was blush. "Well I've been doing a lot of extra study, this year. Defense was really difficult for me last year, but this year it's a cinch."

"It doesn't help that we have a complete buffoon for a teacher." Harry quipped, making her giggle.

For someone, so worldly, as Lockhart claimed to be, he seemed to lack a lot of experience in dealing with the simplest of spells. It was obvious from the very first day when he ran screaming from the room because he couldn't tame the pixies he had let out into the classroom. If it wasn't for Hermione knowing the stupefy spell, those pixies would have been let loose around the school. It was a wonder they learned anything that year.

"Harry?"Rory began out of nowhere. She had been contemplating asking him to go steady with me, but by the time he answered, she had lost courage. "Will you tutor me in Defence if I start to fall behind?"

"Who, me? You want me to tutor you?" he asked with wide eyes.

"You're the best in the class." Rory insisted. "I want to finish this year with better grades than Paris."

"She's still giving you trouble?" Harry asked, concerned.

"No yet, but give it time. She's very hostile." She said shrugging.

"Dark witch in training?" Harry joked and they both laughed.

That was when Paris overheard us and thumped into me as she stormed past. That was when Harry decided he would help Rory with her Defense lessons.

Every afternoon, after class and before Quidditch, Harry sat with Rory in the library going over spells in the textbook and she would practise them under his supervision. Soon she was quite good at them and one day Harry decided to ask her the question that burned in his brain.

Harry was very suspicious of anyone wanting his help. He was always afraid someone would use his help against him. His past experience reminded him that sometimes people weren't who he expected them to be, although he was careful not to tell Rory this.

"So, why me, Rory?" Harry asked. Rory was taken aback by his question and shrugged.

Then seeing that Harry was expecting an answer, Rory knew she had to say something. "You're the best in our year."

"Rory, Hermione scored higher than me in defense." Rory's eyes widened.

"You're always sure of what you cast," Rory said in a small voice.

"Ah, but I only appear to be. That's the trouble when people want to kill you. You show them weakness and they use it." He sounded wise beyond his twelve years of age.

Rory looked at the boy beside her and for the first time she saw his eyes darting around the room as if he were waiting for someone to jump out from behind a shelf yelling "avada kedavra!"

Rory had to admit she was scared at that moment, knowing that being Harry's friend would often mean danger. Rory often heard the Ravenclaw girls talking about the possible rising of what I soon learned to call "He who must not be named" and that he was the darkwizard who had killed Harry's parents and had tried to kill Harry, too.

No one knew how Harry had survived that ill fated night. That was how he was given the name the Boy Who Lived. That was the night he was given the scar. It was a mark left from Voldemort's wand. That much of the story she learned from Hermione in their first year.

KILL THE GIRL!

Harry jumped as he heard the words, but Rory seemed oblivious.

KILL THE GIRL.

He heard it again, puzzled by Rory's non reaction. "Didn't you hear that?" Harry asked.

Rory shook her head. "Hear what?"

"Never mind," Harry said, feeling stupid. "I have to go."

Abruptly he stood up, gathered his books and dashed out of the library.

On the other side of the library, Rory saw the retched Malfoy kid, smirking as his eyes followed Harry out.

"How curious," he taunted. "It seems Potter is going nuts." His laughter cut through the quiet, making Rory mad.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" she retorted as she gathered her books.

"Gee, Gilmore! It's bad enough that you're a half Mudblood, but I bet Richard and Emily would not be impressed with you hanging around sum like Potter."

Ignoring him, Rory left the library with her books in tow and didn't stop until she was in her dorm.


	8. Chapter 8 Uncertain Times

The tutoring began to pay off, almost immediately and Rory's spellwork was becoming far superior to Paris' and Rory was relegated to the top of her year, overall. Hermione and Paris were closer together in ranks, but Rory was certain that it was only because of Hermione's run-in with the basilisk, leaving her petrified.

Paris gave up on torturing Rory, since Rory had threatened to hex her dorm-mate if she harmed her ever again. They still weren't friends, but as long as she didn't need to fear Paris' wrath, it was okay.

Rory went home to Stars' Hollow, no closer to winning Harry's heart, but as friends, they had grown much closer and Rory knew that the three Gryffindors were not leaving out, intentionally, but trying to protect her from the dangers that lurked.

They were not the only ones. Lorelei, who had learned from Emily's lectures about staying up to date with Rory's school and the world she had been thrown into, decided to subscribe to the Daily Prophet. It was through reading these, that she learned about Harry's past and his heroics. She also had read about the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban. It was rumoured that he had played a part in the murder of the Potter's was in pursuit of Harry, in order to finish the job, Voldemort couldn't. There was talk, that the protections around Hogwarts were to be heightened but the staff and the Ministry of Magic, although the details had not yet been specified. Lorelei was not taking her chances. She had decided to keep Rory home from Hogwarts until Sirius had been captured, in spite of Rory's protests and Richard and Emily's assurances that nothing would harm Rory in that school. As far as they were concerned there was no reason to cease the education that a fine school like Hogwarts could provide for Rory, but the little girl was Lorelei's only child and there was no way she was going to risk losing her. Unlike her parents, Lorelei loved Rory above everything and everyone else.

Rory was devastated that she would not see Harry, Hermione and Ron for a long time. Seeing how upset her daughter was she suggested Rory invite the three of them to stay at the end of the summer break.

Rory owled her three friends that very day. Straight away, Hermione responded with a long letter, while Ron responded with three lines, one of those which he had asked if Ginny could come too. Rory knew how messed up, Ginny had been after the Chamber of Secrets debacle when she had found the Diary of Tom Riddle, which had bewitched her into opening the Chamber of Secrets. It had resulted in the many student's being petrified and the endangerment of her own life. For that reason only and in spite of her feelings for Harry, Rory sent Ron a reply to say, "yes, please bring her, too."

To Rory's dissappointment, there was no return owl from Harry. She tried to focus on the fact that at least Ron, Ginny and Hermione were coming to stay.

A week later, she received another owl from Hermione, telling Rory what a wonderful time, she was having in Florida with her parents. She also wrote that she couldn't wait to see Rory again. Rory returned an owl asking if she had heard from Harry. Knowing that his cruel uncle had been known to with-hold his mail, she asked Hermione to check on him somehow.

Rory tied the new note on the owl's leg and opened the window so he could fly out, back to Hermione.

The next morning another letter arrived with terrible news. "Harry's missing! He ran away from his Aunt and Uncle's house and he hasn't been seen, since." Rory could barely see the page, as it grew more and more blurred by her tears. Rory was going to have to face facts. Harry was not coming with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, because he was nowhere to be found and possibly in grave danger.

Two weeks before the school semester was supposed to start, four people arrived, via Floo, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and to Rory's surprise and delight, Harry. She threw her arms around the startled boy.

"Oh, Harry, I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're alright."

"Thanks, Rory, that means alot to me to hear that."

"We found him hiding out in the Leaky Couldren and, well, he was delighted to come with us," Hermione gushed, giving her friend a hug.

"Merlin, these bags are heavy, Ginny. What did you pack in here, the whole Burrow?" Ron threw them down in disgust. Rory giggle, as she watched the display. Ron, the thought to herself, was such a drama queen. "Ron, you're always complaining," Ginny retorted, glaring at her older brother who simply returned her glare. Ginny picked up her bags and looked at Rory, expectantly. Lorelei walked in at that moment, noticing Ginny struggle. "Hey, guys. You must be the friends Rory keeps telling me about. Rory, you're so rude." She winked her daughter playfully. "Here, I'll take these. I have a treat for you all." Hermione raised one eyebrow with intrigue. As a muggle-born, she was accustomed to the ways of muggles, but Lorelei Gilmore, who she assumed was a muggle, was different to anyone she had ever seen, possibly on the eccentric side of things. Ron simply let his eyes wash over her a little too intensely. Ginny screwed her face up at him in disgust. Through it all, Harry smiled and shrugged his shoulders as they all followed Rory's mother. "I have reserved rooms for you at the Independence Inn, since my humble little home just isn't equipped for so many guests at once. Rory you will be staying there, too."

"Really, Mom? This is way too much," Rory responded with shock.

"Of course, Rory. You're a good kid and I trust you. Michel will be there, of course, but he'll be no bother, and Sookie, Tobin or I will be there so you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Mom. You're the best." Rory peaked her mother on the cheek and Rory marveled ant hoe much her little girl was growing up.

"Okay," Lorelei said, clapping her hands together, "Let's get this stuff over to the inn and then I am going to treat you all to lunch at Luke's."

"Thank you, Mrs Gilmore," Hermione said on behalf of them all.

"You're quite, welcome, Hermione, is it?" Hermione nodded, thankful that that the woman had pronounced her name right. "Oh and just call me," Lorelei. No formalities here, in fact I forbid it. This house and the inn, is casual, casual, casual!" Rory was wondering if her mother had been spending too much time with the new Chef, Sukey.

Harry, relaxed, was beginning to like this woman and he could tell Rory had inherited her fun personality from Lorelei. Rory, he noted to himself, appeared to be slightly more sane in comparison.

Later, they all followed Lorelei into Luke's Diner and Rory and her mother squashed two tables together, to make room for Rory and her friends. Lane had joined the other five children and so there was no room for Lorelei, who in spite of protests from the group, decided to sit by herself at the counter and engage in her usual flirtatious banter with Luke.

Ron, Ginny and Harry studied the scruffy owner of the diner. He looked so grumpy, but occasionally he would flash a smile their way. He was a curious looking muggle, with his backwards baseball cap and shirt that looked like it was made from a kill. Hermione, having spent time in the United States already, had seen characters like Luke before, but was still just as intrigued by his manner. Then he approached them to take their order. Rory, to her friend's surprise, order a steak burger with everything on it and double cheese. Ron, particularly impressed that the girl ate nearly as much as he did. He decided to order the same thing, while Ginny and Hermione both ordered a salad. Harry, however was unsure of what to order. There were so many delicious choices and Harry was starved, but he still felt weird about ordering something huge, like a burger, when he wasn't paying for it. So he ordered a plate of fries. "Oh, can you bring some ketchup over, too, please Luke? Oh Harry, you have to try some ketchup. It's delicious."

Luke returned to the counter, where Lorelei was holding an empty coffee cup put for a refill. He took it with a huffed and poured a fresh cup. "So," these are Rory's school friends? They're a funny bunch."

"Oh, stop it! They're cute!" Lorelei punched him, playfully on the arm.

"Lorelei, puppies are cute. Children are monsters."

"Rory's not a monster," she argued.

"Rory's different. Rory's Rory." Luke said.

"She's a good kid, isn't she?"

Luke nodded. "You're very lucky, Lorelei. Some kids don't turn out so well."


	9. Chapter 9 Summer at the Inn

The first night at the inn, was marvelous. They decided to watch one of the movies available in the lobby, which turned out to be My Girl. They all gathered in one room and marveled over how alike Macauley Culkin and Harry were, laughing hysterically when Harry blushed. Then Sookie brought up a platter of pies and slices for them all to pig out on. Then when they were all tuckered out, the boys retreated to their room and Rory, Hermione and Ginny climbed into the large bed and chatted until they fell asleep.

At that moment, Harry was having another frightful nightmare and his scar was hurting more than ever. Flashes of the whooping Willow and an old shack filled his subconscious and he was screaming as he saw himself chasing Ron's rat down a hole, all the while, transforming. A big black dog, like the one at the bus stop, back home, was following close behind, his sharp teeth, nipping at his heels. At least he thought it was a dog. The next time he looked he saw a wolf. Then he felt himself being shaken, violently and he thought he was back at number four Rivet drive, being shaken to death by his uncle, while Voldemort's laughter filled the air.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, trying to wake him. "Harry, wake up!" Harry fought his way through the waves of the unconscious until he was finally awake, his chest heaving, as a trembling hand wiped the blood from his brow. Ron was no stranger to moments like that one, that night. It had become a part of being Harry's friend and dorm-mate.

"Ron, where's Scabbers." Scabbers was Ron's rat.

"He's in his cage, Harry, like he always is at night, why?"

Harry stared over at the cage and sure enough, the rat was happily chewing his food, his ready eyes, glittering in the moonlight. Harry sighed with relief. "No reason, Ron. I was having a bad dream," he explained for his own benefit. He hoped that was all it was and not the ones he usually had before something bad happened. Even though they happened frequently, it didn't frighten Harry any less.

"Mate, you never told me, what happened at the Dursleys."

"Its nothing, really, but I just have had enough." Harry said, hoping Ron would quit, there. The last thing he wanted to talk about was his uncle's fat obnoxious sister.

Ron, however, pressed on. "Harry in all the time you've lived there, you wait until now to leave? why now, Harry?"

"I couldn't take it anymore, Ron. Uncle Vernon's horrid sister came to stay and she ran off at the mouth about my parents, so I blew her up. Naturally I was in so much trouble for it. Uncle Vernon was livid, but I was beyond caring. So I just left."

"You blew your aunt up?" Ron's eyes were wide with amazement. Harry nodded.

"She floated away like a balloon, carrying my uncle with her. I have to admit it was really quite funny."

"Are you kidding? That would have been hilarious!" Ron was chuckling at the pictures he had of the scene in his mind.

Harry yawned. "Goodnight, Ron."

"Goodnight, Mate," Ron replied, rolling over and going to sleep.

The next morning the boys stumbled out of bed and met the girls downstairs in the dining room, where Sookie was already serving an array of dishes, some of which Harry had never seen before, even at Hogwarts. The girls were chattering about what they wanted to do that day and the boys stared, dumbly at the three of them, wondering how they found the energy, so early in the morning.

"Do they ever tire of it?" Ron asked.

"They're girls, Mate. What do you think?"

They both sighed and began piling pancakes on their plates and drowning them in maple syrup. "So, Rory, What are we doing today?" Ron asked.

"Well I thought I'd give you the guided tour of Stars' Hollow, complete with the library and the bookstore and then back to Luke's for lunch."

"Isn't there anything else to do?" Ron asked.

"Well there's Mrs Kim's Antique shop." Rory suggested.

"That's your friend Lane's Mom isn't it?" Hermione asked, her excitement building.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know we're witches, or wizards for that matter," Rory added looking directly from Harry to Ron. "If she did, she would probably never let me near Lane again. Lane knows though."

The thought of seeing an antique store was only marginally more fun than the bookstore and Ron was beginning to wonder if there was anything fun around Stars' Hollow to do. Neverthe less he tagged along with Harry and the girls as they went into the library first, which was only small and then the bookstore, which was even smaller. Then Rory led the group to Mrs. Kim's. The short, plump woman watched the group like a hawk, scowling and muttering to herself. "YOU BREAK, YOU BUY!" she screamed, when Harry picked up a strange bottle necked vase. Feeling her death stare, he replaced the vase on the bronze table and crossed his arms as he followed his friends through the cramped store. His arm snagged a wooden dragon and he paused, waiting to see if it would fall. It looked as if it was going to, so he dug his wand out and used it to steady the sculpture, hoping Mrs. Kim hadn't noticed him using magic. The he tapped Rory on the shoulder. "I'm going to wait outside."

"Me, too," Ron chimed in, pulling a face. "That woman is scarey." The two, high tailed it out of the shop and waited on the front lawn.

Lane watched them from her room and knew instantly that Rory was also there. She waved at the boys, but they didn't see her. She bounded down the stairs and out the front door. "Hey Guys." She huffed.

"Hi, Lane. " Harry gave her a meek wave.

"You're mum is freaky," Ron whispered.

"Oh, that's just the way Mrs. Kim is."

"How do you stand it?"Ron asked.

"Oh, I have my ways," Lane answered, flippantly.

They chatted briefly until Mrs. Kim appeared on the porch. "Lane Kim! No boys!" she barked at the girl.

"Sorry Momma." Lane flew past Rory, Hermione and Ginny as they were exiting the house, with barely a hello to Rory.

"Bye, Mrs. Kim!" Rory sang out.

"Thank you for the locket, Mrs. Kim," Hermione chimed in.

Ginny simply waved. She looked slightly glum and had been all day.

"Gin, are you okay?" Rory asked.

"I'm fine," Ginny mumbled and charge on, a few steps ahead.

Rory didn't know what it was, but she was going to get to the bottom of it, later on, when they had a moment alone, although she did wonder if it was another Harry-related moment.


	10. Chapter 10 Love Blossoms

Ginny's eyes revealed a girl, yearning to be noticed. Other than the time when she was bewitched by Riddle's diary and taken into the chamber of secrets, she was invisible to her peers. Even at home, having six older brothers meant Ginny needed to fight for every bit of attention and acknowledgement. Ginny found it easier to retreat into herself and she was getting sadder and sadder.

Mrs Weasley had hoped that sending her daughter with Ron to Stars' Hollow would give her a change of scenery and force her to mix with her friends more.

It was true, Ginny was enjoying her time in Stars' Hollow and getting to know Rory was something she hadn't done before that summer and she found that Rory was very much like herself.

She had tried to put things out of her mind, but watching Harry sneak glances at Rory, brought her back to the reality that Harry still didn't notice Ginny. Ginny knew Rory noticed her downcast eyes.

That night, Ron and Harry were exploring the grounds and Hermione was taking time out by herself to read in the inn's library. Rory took the opportunity to spend some time with Ginny and suggested they raid the kitchen for junkfood and vege out in a quiet corner of the lobby.

"Gin, are you okay?" Rory blurted out.

Ginny looked up, stunned. "What do you mean?"

Rory searched her mind for the right way to say what she meant. "Ginny, I know last year was really tough for you and it will be really hard to come out of what you went through. I'm worried about you."

Ginny's lip quivered, but she was determined to hold it together. "It was so scarey. You'd think I'd be thankful that I was saved, but really nothing has changed except that I feel worse. I hurt a lot of people."

"That wasn't you, Gin, we all know that. We know Riddle's diary had some sort of hold on you." Rory was hoping what she said had gotten through to the girl, but Ginny wasn't convinced. It was written across her face. Rory decided to add more. "No one holds it against you for what happened, you have to know that."

"Then why do I feel like this? Why do I keep thinking that Harry and everyone else is mad. I see them treat me differently and I wish it wasn't like that."

"Gin, you know we all care for you, don't you? We, especially your brothers, should probably tell you that more often, but just don't know how. A lot of times we don't say things, because we don't know how you would react. We don't want to remind you of what you went through, so we don't try as hard as we should."

Ginny nodded, understanding what Rory was trying to say. Ginny had been through something scarey and to relive it through her would terrify her crushed,violently even Harry who had rescued her in the end. Was that was Harry often felt like? Ginny was beginning to understand Harry's moments of dark silences, better than anyone.

Then out of the blue, she blurted out, "Do you like Harry?" Rory started to say no, but her cheeks burned red and she knew Ginny had noticed. She nodded and quickly looked away.

"Do you think he likes you?" Rory shook her.

"The only girl he seems to notice is Hermione."

"But Hermione's too busy burying her head in books to notice him." Ginny giggled at the thought of the two of them, Rory could only force a tiny chuckle. The way Ginny had described their friend, was exactly the way Rory had been described all her life.

Rory decided to observe her two friends. That night when the group were together having dinner with Lorelei and Sookie, Rory noticed how close Harry and Hermione were. Yet neither of them seemed to dote on eachother. Hermione, how ever was always stealing glances at Ron. Ron, of course was oblivious to anything that didn't concern his stomach.

After dinner they all found another movie to watch. As the opening credits of Beethoven appeared on the screen, with her chin rested on her arms, Rory glanced at Ron and Hermione who were sitting on the floor in front of the large bed. Rory saw Hermione's hand inch closer to Ron's so her fingers were just touching his. He didn't reach for them but hid didn't pull his hand away either. Instead they both sat in the darkness, like that for several minutes. Hermione glanced at Ron and decided to brave it. She reached Ron's pinky with her own, expecting Ron to react. He hadn't. He simply left his hand there under Hermione's. Then Rory had an idea. Harry was lying beside her almost in the same position. She inched her hand closer to Harry's just as Hermione had done to Ron. Their fingers touched and tingles shot through her body. Harry glanced at the hands and swallowed violently, but he didn't pull away. He was almost afraid to admit to himself how good it felt.

At that moment, Ron was putting his arm around Hermione and she was snuggling closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Harry and Rory locked fingers, enjoying the warmth of eachother. Before they knew it Harry and Rory had inched closer together and their lips met. It was like magic for Rory and Harry was enjoying it just as much, before the guilt set in. Was this what it felt like to be loved, was he, Harry Potter, falling in love? It couldn't happen. The panic took over. He couldn't let her love him, nor could he let himself love her. The last two people he loved was twelve years before and they had been killed by Voldemort. Abruptly he pulled his lips away from Rory's and yanked his hand away. Rory was stunned and didn't know what to think.

Ron and Hermione were still locked in an embrace. Their lips were locked together and as the movie played, they remained that way, oblivious to what had occured between Rory and Harry.

In that moment, none of them knew, that Ginny had dissappeared. It was Sookie who found Ginny sobbing in the dark lobby, as she stared at the unlit fireplace. Tears were streaming down the girl's pale cheeks. "Hey," Sookie whispered, putting her arm around her. Ginny was hiccuping as she let her tears fall, in spite of Sookie.

"He likes her," she sobbed. "Harry likes Rory."

"Are you sure?" Sookie asked.

Ginny nodded, trying to wipe the tears away with the back of her arm. "They kissed."

Sookie, who was standing to reach for a cleenex, stopped dead in her tracks. What was should've going to say to Lorelei?


	11. Chapter 11 Spying Eyes

Sookie stewed on the things she had just heard. The words, " Harry likes Rory" and "They kissed" rolled around and around in her head. She didn't want to alarm Lorelei, though so she decided to keep an eye on the pair over the next few days. Yet they seemed normal and she wondered if Ginny was telling the truth, but then why would Ginny get upset if she was just lying about it all.

Then she saw the two of them disappear together and she knew the girl was telling the truth. Sookie followed the pair down to the brook where she watched them sit on the little bridge. Rory began to toss some bread into the water for the swans and Harry laughed as he watched them squabble over the bread. Then he put his arm around her and Sookie almost shrieked, but stopped herself in time. She didn't want the two of them to see her and think she was spying on them, even though she was, but it was for Rory's own good, she told herself.

Rory had never been so happy as she was sitting on the bridge with Harry. Nothing an no one was there to disturb them, so she thought, only the swans as they dived after the bits of bread she tossed into the water. She broke a piece of bread off of a stale loaf she found in the inn's kitchen and handed it to Harry. "Just toss it in the water, Harry, like this." She broke off another piece and threw it in the water. Harry copied her action, watching the water ripple around it as it landed on the surface. Instantly a swan was gobbling in up.

He put his arm around Rory and she leaned into him. "It's so peaceful, here. I can see why you love this place so much."

"It's my home," Rory sighed. "All the people I love are here. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

"You must miss it when you're at school then."

"I do," she said, "but I've grown to love it there, too. Cho and Hermione are there, even Paris," she scrunched her face up making Harry laugh, "And you are there. I'm going to miss it all this year. Mum won't let me go back because of Sirius Black. She thinks it will be dangerous there."

"She's right," Harry said. He had faced danger many times in his short life and had been lucky enough to make it through. "It's not safe back home at the moment, Rory. As much as I'll miss you, I think its a good thing you're not coming back with the rest of us." He kissed her forehead.

Loving Rory as he was beginning to, he was unaware of the high stakes it meant for him. Voldemort was returning and it seemed Sirius Black was out to finish what the dark wizard had started. He was out to kill Harry and Harry wanted Rory as far away from all of that as possible.

They leaned into eachother and their lips were inches apart when they heard a loud CRASH! Sprawled in the bushes was a blushing, sheepish Sookie. "Hi kids!" was all she could do to make light of the moment.

Was she spying on them, Rory wondered? Harry withdrew the arm that was around Rory's shoulders and nervously tried to smooth out his messy mop. Rory jumped up and was busy helping Sookie to her feet. "Sookie, we weren't doing anthing." She began to explain.

"Rory, I'm in a bad position, here. You're Mom's my best friend and I'm sure she'd like to know what's going on with you two."

"Please don't tell her, Sookie," Rory begged. "Not yet."

"Alright Rory," Sookie relented against her better judgement, "but I want you to tell her soon, okay?"

"Okay," Rory answered, not sure what the big deal was. Lorelei was... Lorelei. She'd understand. She had to, didn't she? Rory was beginning to doubt it though. Lorelei had fallen pregnant with Rory, so young. At seventeen she was far too young for the baby she was nursing, but she was stubborn and she loved Rory so much. She had always vowed to make sure Rory grew up first and had the life that Lorelei had missed out on, not tied down with a baby. Yet Rory and Harry were just kissing. They weren't planning anything more, not yet. That hadn't even crossed Rory's mind. She decided she would tell her mother that very day, that she and Harry were an item.

Lorelei almost choked on her burger, later that day when Rory broke the news. "It's okay, Mom. We'll be sensible, I promise," Rory reassured her mother.

"Rory, Harry's not like other boys." Lorelei was slowly regaining composure as she spoke.

" What do you mean?" Rory was now confused.

" Harry is surrounded by a lot of danger. I don't want you getting mixed up with it all."

Rory only slightly comprehended what her mother was trying to say. "I know you don't Mom and neither does Harry. He said so. That's why I'm staying in Stars' Hollow this year instead of going back to school."

"Really? Well I'm glad to know he has your best interests at heart, but Rory, are you sure you want to be tied up with him?" Lorelei pleaded.

"Mom..." Lorelei was acting like Rory and Harry had announced their engagement. Rory didn't understand it. They were both just kids who had gotten together to explore their feelings for each other. "I really like Harry. I want to get to know him more. I'm not going to marry him – not yet." She added, joking. Lorelei squirmed in her seat. There was nothing she could do. Rory was smitten for the boy and she didn't want to pull an Emily on her and control her feelings for the boy.

"Just promise me, you'll always be careful, Hon. I just don't want you to be hurt." She insisted.

"I promise. Thanks Mom," and then she skipped out of the diner. Lorelei's eyes followed her out sadly. Her little Rory was growing up faster than ever and she was powerless to stop it.

Harry was waiting outside when Rory bounded outside. "Mom's okay with it!" she cried, ecstatic. Then Hand in hand they walked down the street.

Ginny sat in the gazebo watching the happy couple round the corner and out of sight. She was feeling lower than ever and sorry for herself. All hope of Harry noticing her was gone. Ginny knew she had no choice but to get used to it. She pushed through the pain in her heart over the next few days, counting down the days until she was immersed in the crowded corridors of the school, where she could avoid Harry as much as possible.


	12. Chapter 12 Missing Harry

It broke Rory's heart to say goodbye to Harry at the end of Summer. Knowing that he and the others were facing danger made it that much harder to watch him disappear through the fireplace in the inn's lobby.

They had grown so close in the time they spent together and neither of then realised how wonderful it was to be in love as they had become.

When they were gone, Rory noticed how quiet it was in her sleepy little town. She tried to find comfort in it but all did was make Rory miss him more than ever.

Adjusting into a muggle school was nearly impossible. The questions the other kids asked were nearly impossible and hiding her newfound magic abilities was even worse. Lane was amazing, helping Rory's secret remain that way and fobbing off the toughest of questions about why she had missed so much school.

"That's because she went away to school in England." Lane's answer was pretty true, but there was more to it than they would ever know or comprehend. Rumours went around the school that Rory was expelled. Others said Lorelei couldn't afford to pay her tuition. Rory felt more and more like a freak as the term progressed and thanked her lucky stars Lane was there or she would have felt completely alone.

Harry was true to his words when he said he would owl her regularly. Rory looked forward to his letters, but it wasn't the same as being at Hogwarts with him. He told Rory about the dementors that circled the school grounds, waiting for Black to inevitably show up there. He didn't tell her, however, that he had been knocked off of his broomstick by one, hundreds of feet above the earth. He had been paralysed with fear by the floating clones of darkness and its kiss was close to sucking the life out of him. As far as Harry was concerned Rory didn't need to know that. Instead he filed the parchment with loving words, telling her how much he missed her.

Instantly, Rory put quill to parchment in response.

_Dear Harry, _

_You don't know how much it cheers me up to receive your letter and read you lovely words. I miss you too, more than you'll ever know. I'm counting down the days until its safe enough to return to Hogwarts and to you. _

After she finished, she signed her name and attached the letter to Hedwig's leg. She barely had a moment to scratch the owl's soft feathery neck before he flew off back to England.

Each letter exchanged was a few days apart. Then a lengthy letter arrived.

In it, Harry explained that Sirius Black had indeed set out to find him, but not to kill him. In a strange twist of events, Harry had learned that Scabbers, Ron's rat was really Peter Pettigrew, the man who had blabbed the Potters' whereabouts to Voldemort and framed Sirius. Harry had learned that Black was in fact his godfather and his father's boyhood best friend. Harry wrote about how much he missed Rory . All Rory could do was cry tears of sadness for missing Harry and happiness that Harry finally had someone, an adult that would care for him.

It would be a long time before he could leave the Dursley household and live with Sirius as Harry explained in the letter, for the rest of the world thought he was guilty, but for Harry, Ron Hermione and Dumbledore. The rat, Wormtail as Pettigrew was called had escaped before Sirius' name could be cleared. Pettigrew was still at large so Sirius would have to remain in hiding.

Rory knew Harry would be bummed about it, so she suggested he come and stay with the Gilmores for the Summer.

Harry, happily accepted Rory's invitation and that summer, when Harry stepped through the fireplace, Rory flew into his arms. "You don't know how much I've missed you," she sobbed as he stroked her hair.

"I'm here, now, Rory. Don't cry," Harry whispered.

"He's right, you know," Lorelei, who was wiping tears out her own eyes, said. "He's here, now, Kid." She dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex and then immediately moved to take Harry's large trunk. "What do you have in here, everything you own?"

"Pretty much everything that's important to me," he answered, glancing nervously at Rory. "Almost everything. Here let me help you with that!" He exclaimed, picking up one end of it. They moved it into Rory's room and and set it down at the foot of her bed. She let her end go and groaned as she straighten up. Then she caught Harry's eye and smiled. "Welcome back, Harry." She left the room and they could hear Lorelei rustling around in the cupboard in the hall for extra bedding.

Rory took advantage of their moment alone to embrace. Their lips met and neither of them wanted this kiss to end. He brushed a strand of her hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. Rory closed her eyes and enjoyed Harry's closeness and his touch, but it ended all to soon, yet just in time to not be caught by Lorelei.

Lorelei burst into the room with a pillow and linen to make up the the cot beside Rory's bed.

"We can do that, Mom." Rory said, taking the bedding from her mother.

"Okay, Sweetie, well I'm going to Luke's and then to run some errands." Lorelie kissed her daughter's head and then she was gone.

Rory busied herself making the bed up, while Harry assisted. When they were done, Harry sat on the cot, pulling Rory down beside him.

"You know, when I was face to face with the dementors, all I could think about was you. You're what got me through it, Rory." He was caressing her cheek with his thumb as he spoke and Rory sighed, happily.

"I hated not being there, Harry," Rorry whispered.

"I know."

Their lips met again and Harry's hands rested on her back, while Rory's arms were draped around his neck and shoulders. For the rest of the summer, Harry Potter was all Rory's.


	13. Chapter 13 Rising Passion

Their lips finally parted. "I don't know what comes over me around you," Harry whispered. "It's like you've put some sort of spell on me. It's kind of magical."

"Not magic, Harry. Just love," Rory replied. Then she realised what she was saying and blushed. "I mean, well... We're thirteen. What do we know about love, right?"

"I do have really strong feelings for you. Maybe it is love. We are closer to turning fourteen," Harry rationalized.

"You're right! Maybe this is what it feels to really love someone, why it hurts so much when that person is not around. Is that why I missed you so much?" Rory asked.

"As did I," Harry whispered, taking her hand. Their finger intertwined as they stared into each other's eyes. "It might not be magic, Rory, but it sure feels like it." He laid back, resting his head against the pillow and Rory curled up beside him. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Rory."

He curled his arm around her back and his hand rested on her arm and he lightly caressed it with his thumb. He pushed the sleeve of her polo aside so he could feel her skin. It was soft and smooth and Harry thought she was the most wonderful thing he had ever touched. With his free hand he caressed her neck, tracing the collar of her shirt across her bare collar-bone and lower until he could feel the valley of her tiny cleavage. "So beautiful, isn't she?" a voice whispered in his mind. He sighed, unaware that the voice didn't belong to him.

"You're so beautiful Rory," Harry he said it, his hand was exploring the skin around the lining of Rory's bra, fighting the urge to explore deeper. Hs other hand moved to her hip, escaping under her top to feel her waist. She draped her leg over his body and with her knee felt the hardening bump under his trousers. He kissed her with an urgency neither had ever known, their tongues meeting. Harry gave in to his urges and allowed his hand to cup her small mounds, as Rory moaned heavily, climbing on top of him, with both hands beneath her top, he unclasped the hook, between her breasts and allowed the skin to rest in his hands, massaging gently.

"She feels amazing, doesn't she?" the voice whispered again.

"She is," Harry whispered.

"Harry?" Rory responded, confused.

"You are. You're amazing." He was panting as battled his urges to take her at that moment. He traced her spine, allowing her top to lift, exposing her skin. Then he tucked his fingers under her denim shorts, feeling her buttocks, but straining from the tightness of the waist, he pulled them out and rested them on Rory's thighs. Rory rested against him as he continued to explore her legs, but then one of Harry's hands crept beneath her shorts. He rested it upon her behind.

"Lovely girl," said the voice again. "Take her, Harry. Take her now."

"I can't," harry said, suddenly, pushing Rory away. He hadn't realized how much strength he had used, until Rory was flying across the room. He quickly drew his wand and turned the desk, Rory was about to land on into a bean-bag, just as she was landing. Instantly he turned it back into Rory desk, complete with all of her school books. "I'm so sorry, Rory." He was knealing in front of her as she fixed herself up. "I'm so sorry. I just couldn't, not yet."

"Couldn't what?" Rory asked.

"Never mind." He stood abruptly. "Can we go somewhere?"

Okay...sure," Rory agreed, now really confused by Harry's weird behaviour. "We'll go see Lane. She's been looking forward to seeing you again."

They left the Gilmore house and strolled over to Lane's, where Lane was sitting, bored, on the Kims' front porch swing. Her eyes sprang to life at the first sight of Rory and Harry. "Rory!" she cried, dashing down the steps and across the lawn. "Harry! It's so good to see you back." She threw her arms around him and in the same instant pulled away, worried that her mother would catch her hugging a boy. "Rory has been a mess, worrying about you and missing you."

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised that he could really mean that much to somebody.

"She talks non stop about you." She linked arms with Rory and Harry and guided them across the road to Luke's Diner. "Mom! Going to Luke's with Rory!" she called out, purposely neglecting to mention Harry. Tugging her best friend and Harry along with her, she dashed away from the house and stepped off the curb.

Once settled into Luke's, Lane began bombarding Harry with questions about Ginny, Hermione and especially Ron, who intrigued her the most out of all of Rory's new friends. "Hermione's good. She's in Italy with her parents, Ginny's settling in to Hogwarts, but she was so quiet this year, again and Ron is the same as ever. He and Ginny are staying in the Burrow for the summer, but their Dad is trying to buy tickets for the Quidditch World Cup."

"Sounds fascinating! I can't imagine what it would be like to actually watch a game of Quidditch!" Lane exclaimed, awestruck.

"You should both come and see it!" Harry suggested.

"Are you kidding? My Mom would never go for it." Lane was Horrified.

"We'll work something out," Rory said to calm Lane. "What teams will we be watching?"

"Ireland versus Bulgaria, two amazing teams, although, I think Ireland is going to have their work cut out for them with Krum as Bulgaria's seeker." Harry was animated as he spoke of Viktor Krum's flying technique. "Krum is the best seeker in the world. I hope that one day I'll be just half as good."

"You'll be twice as good," Rory gushed and Lane feined gagging noises as if she was going to barf.

They ate their burgers, laughing and chattering, oblivious to Luke's watchful eye. Harry both intrigued and scared him with the intensity the boy held in his eyes, especially when he looked at Rory. Luke could only see one end for them and it would only consist of heartbreak for Rory.


	14. Chapter 14 Distance

"Mom says I can come back to school this semester." Rory and Harry were lazing beside the brook, throwing bread into the water. They both found it hard to believe that a year ago they were in that same spot, although they were both glad Sookie wasn't there to spy on them this time.

"She did? That's great!" Harry exclaimed. He really missed her the previous semester.

"Grandma and Grandpa forbade her to let me stay at home one more year, for which I'm glad. I couldn't possibly go through another year of ordinary "Muggle" school, especially here in Stars' Hollow. Do you believe the things the other kids were saying about me?" Rory's eyes were wide and her face animated as she spoke, which fascinated Harry. He chuckled thinking of her letters in which she had told him about the kids thinking she had gone to a Juvenile Facility for two years among the many other stories they conjured up about her. Sadly they sounded very much like the stories his aunt and uncle told to explain away his absence during the school term.

"Muggles are stupid," Harry whispered.

"Oh, Harry, it's not like they have any other explanation, besides you know that's not the slightest bit true. Hermione's a muglle and she's one of the smartest witches in our class." Rory sounded a little defensive when she spoke, but Harry brushed it off.

"Correction," Harry explained with pride. "She's officially the smartest of any witch or wizard in our year. Your friend, Paris didn't even come close."

"Wow! I must owl her to congratulate her on that one. Poor Paris, though. She must have taken that hard." Rory imagined Hermione must have been subjected to quite a few curses, courtesy of Paris Geller.

"Surprisingly, she took it well. She hasn't tried to hex Hermione once." Harry said, to Rory's surprise.

"Paris must be softening in her old age." They both laughed. Harry studied her profile and before he could fight his urges, he leaned over and kissed Rory on the cheek, as he put his arm around her shoulders. Rory returned Harry's kiss on the lips and Harry's other hand travelled to the neck of her t-shirt. He had been a week, staying with the Gilmores and it was getting harder to fight his urges, especially the urge to take things further with Rory.

Here in this beautiful place, Harry felt like he could not resist to let the moment take over him. He caressed her mounds, lightly and Rory began to feel edgy, particularly about the possibility of being caught. Star's Hollow was quite a small town and the event of Rory and Harry snogging by the brook as they were would be big news, especially at the hands of Miss Patty or Babette. Instinctively, Rory pushed Harry's hand away.

"Too fast?" Harry asked.

Rory shook her head. "I just don't want to get caught. Mom would freak if the news of this travelled back to her."

"You know, I did pack my invisibility cloak."

Rory wanted to be close to Harry, so bad that she liked the idea that was triggered by Harry's words. Without a word they stood and packed up the bread basket and headed for the Gilmore house.

Relieved that Lorelei was out somewhere, probably at the inn, Rory and Harry shut themselves away in Rory's room. She nervously nibbled on her lip as she watched Harry dig through his trunk for the cloak. On the floor beside Rory's bed, they huddled beneath it careful to not let any part of them be exposed. There they felt free to explore each other, enjoying the warmth of each other's touch.

Harry reached beneath her t-shirt and found Rory's breast, resting his hand there as his thumb caressed the nipple. Then he raised her shirt and then the cup of her bra and let his tongue take over, while his hand found her most intimate part. He massaged it gently, with his fingertips, beneath her panties.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" The voice returned, startling Harry. Where was this coming from, he wondered, then tried his best to block it out. As he grew more excited though, the voice in his head grew more urgent, urging him to take her.

She was moaning softly under his touch and Harry could tell she wasn't ready to stop. "Take her Harry." There it was again.

"I will!" he cried.

The moaning stopped. "Harry? What did you say?"

"Nothing, Rory's it's okay." Suddenly his excitement was no longer and he could hear laughter in his his head.

"You couldn't, could you?" It howled again with peels of laughter, that Harry recognised, not as his own, but from somewhere, but he wasn't sure where. "Pathetic! Weak!" It spat at him.

"I can't, Rory." He tossed aside the cloak and helped Rory fix herself up. "I don't know what comes over me."

"Its okay, Harry," Rory whispered, although part of her her was disappointed that once again Harry seemed to be rejecting her. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he muttered. "Um, I think I'm going to go back to the Burrow and go to the World Cup with the Weazleys."

"Did you still need me to come with you?" Rory asked, suddenly excited at the prospect of a trip. Mentally, she was already figuring out what to say to Lorelei."

"No, Rory, I think you should stay here until school starts." Harry suggested.

"Why?" she asked as his words sunk in. "Did I do something wrong? If we're moving too fast we can slow down."

"Rory, you know how difficult that's going to be for us. It already is. It's not you, Rory. I just think we need some distance. We're just kids." Harry was talking a mile a minute, each word stinging both of their hearts.

"If that's what you want," Rory said, slowly, in spite of the voice screaming inside her to beg him to stay. Rory swallowed back the tears that she knew were coming. "We'll organise for you to leave tomorrow, okay, but now I'm going to Lane's." She didn't wait for him answer. She just hurried out the door and up throat to Kim's Antiques, her mind reeling from Harry's sudden change of attitude. She searched in her mind for some clue as to what was causing Harry to want distance. She was still convinced it was something she had done, although she had no idea what that was.

She snuck through the front door, praying that Mrs Kim wouldn't see her and found the steps to the bedrooms. When she found Lane's room she walked straight in and noticing that it was empty, she flopped onto lane's bed and let out the tears she had so desperately tried to hold back.

It was only mere minutes before Lane returned from the bathroom to find Rory in a messy blubbering heap on her bed. "Rory!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay? What happened? Did you and Harry fight?" She sat beside Rory and began stroking her hair, reminding Rory of Lorelei at that moment. Rory thought to herself, that Lane would make a wonderful mother one day and this cheered her up a little. Her crying eased a bit if anything.

Rory told Lane, through sobs, what had happened between Harry, although leaving out the details of how far they actually went. "I'll kill him!" Lane exclaimed, but Rory protested.

"It's okay, Lane, he's right, we do need some distance. We're only almost fourteen. Mom was sixteen when she was pregnant with me and everybody says that's young. She was too years older than what Harry and I are now." Rory was babbling as she tried to justify Harry's decision to go back to England early.

Lane listened patiently, before explaining, "Rory, just because you "do it" doesn't mean you'll automatically fall pregnant. It's a worst case scenario, but there's birth control."

"I know." Rory sat up and wiped her red blotchy eyes. "But none of them are a hundred percent safe."

"That's true, but Rory, I know mom would kill me or send me away to a Seventh Day Adventist school for saying this, but only you and Harry will nkow when the right time is and you have to agree on that. If Harry wants distance, it's probably because he respects you and doesn't want you to get hurt."

"I guess so." Rory whispered. "But what if it's because he decided he doesn't want to be with me anymore?"

"Rory, so suddenly, I don't think so." Lane hoped she was right.


	15. Chapter 15 Yule Ball

**Some of the events in this chapter are straying from the original _GoF_ plot, but this is my version of how it all works.**

* * *

Going back to Hogwarts, although it was what Rory had wanted for a whole year, now was the most difficult thing in the world, now that she and Harry had cooled it. Even with the excitement of the Tri-wizard Tournament and the school's visitors, keeping everyone talking, Rory could not rise out of her depression.

Her only concern was that an age limit had set, preventing Harry from being chosen as the Hogwarts Champion. She was glad for that, knowing that this was no ordinary Tournament. She and Hermione had read about past tournaments and found out that people had died and she knew that this time might not be so different. But then somehow, his name was spat out of the Goblet of Fire, as the unexpected fourth Tri-wizard Champion. No one was more shocked and worried than Rory, who knew it would only end in heartache for him.

Harry, however seemed to ignore her, yet his eyes were following Cho everywhere. Everytime she saw it, Rory felt the searing pain in her heart. Hadn't he loved Rory? Hadn't he written to her all the previous semester, that he wished she was there with him? He had come all the way to Stars' Hollow to be with Rory, so why the change? The questions circled around Rory's brain, like a pack of vultures waiting for their prey to die, so they could attack.

The fact that there was a ball planned, made Rory feel all that much worse. In her heart, Rory hoped that Harry would ask her to go, but he was not showing signs of want, not like he was directing at Cho. It was Cedric Diggory, who asked Rory to go with him. Rory at first said no, but then wondered if Harry would notice her if she went with someone else. Besides, Cedric was always such a nice boy and maybe he would be fun to go out with.

Cho did say yes to Harry, when he finally asked her. Ron would go stag, after he had left it until the last minute to ask Hermione, who said yes to Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang Champion, who seemed to have a thing for Hermione, following her around in the Library and staring at her when he thought she couldn't see. Ron noticed though and Rory could tell by the sad look in his eyes that he hated that Hermione would be going with someone else. Rory knew how he felt so empathised with him, wishing she hadn't said yes to Cedric so she could've gone with Ron as support. What's done was done, though, and now they were all partnered up with the exception of Ron, whether they liked who they were going with or not.

Ginny, who seemed to have forgotten about Harry, was going with Neville. It was she who suggested Ron should ask Luna to the ball, after his painful attempt to ask Fleur. What the hell, thought Ron and asked "Loony" the day before the ball. Luna said yes, although she seemed like she was in such a dream state that Rory and Cho weren't sure Luna knew what it was exactly she was saying yes to.

So on the night of the ball, as the girls made their entrances, the boys each took their turn to be shocked as their date for the night emerged, looking more stunning than the girl before. Parvati and Padma's whispering commentary was what urged Harry to look away from Cho to the stairs, on which Hermione was gliding down, he glanced to Ron, who looked bored out of his skull as he listened to Luna drabble about the Quibbler. He did a double-take as he saw Hermione, graceful like he'd never seen her before as she took the arm of Krum.

Then it was Rory's turn to make and appearance and as she, too, did her best to glide down the staircase in the ice blue strapless gown that Hermione had helped her pick, to where her date was waiting, she couldn't help but stare past him at Harry, who's eyes were out of his head gawking, making Rory pleased that he had at least noticed her. She smiled, broadly and with sad eyes, Harry turned away. Rory could feel her eyes welling up at his reaction but she refused to cry.

As Rory led the procession into the Great Hall, on the arm of her Champion, amid the great sense of pride was the feeling that she was walking in on the arm of the wrong Champion. How had this all turned out so wrong? She blocked out the thought and smiled, this time it was a pasted on smile, that would rival the dutiful smile of Emily Gilmore at a dinner party for an arch enemy. Rory hoped it would look sincere. Thankfully, Cedric didn't notice anything but how lovely she looked. She glanced back at Hermione who was beaming happily as Viktor led her in. Behind Viktor she caught a glimpse of Harry, who in spite of the girl on his arm, who he had wanted to ask since the ball was announced was looking as glum as a Malfoy in the company of Muggles. He caught her eye and her heart skipped a beat, but then he looked away.

Ron and Luna looked on as the four Champions and their partners led the first waltz. He felt a pang of sadness as he watched Krum's flawless moves on the dance floor and the smiling Hermione. Ron had never seen her so happy and he wished it was him who was making Hermione laugh so much. Rory and Cedric seemed so be having a good time, too, and it was Luna who noticed her eyes twinkle occasionally, then the waves of sadness would wash away the twinkle every time. She had never seen someone's aura flicker so much with the different emotions.

As the rest of the students were invited to dance, Ron sidled up to Harry and Cho, who were in the eye line between Ron and Hermione. His aura, Luna noticed up close, as she was dancing with Ron, was shimmering just as much as Rory's. She noticed that it was always whenever one looked at the other, especially when their eyes met. Then Cedric led Rory off the dance floor for a drink and a sit down and Hermione followed, dragging a reluctant Viktor with her. Harry and Ron both led their partners off in pursuit of the other four.

"Wow, it's been some night!" Ron exclaimed to Harry, all the while staring at Hermione and Krum, who were locked in an embrace.

"Are you having a good time?" Harry asked.

"I guess so, all things considered. You?" Ron returned the question.

"It's been okay. We've had fun," Harry answered looking at Cho, who noticed, once again that his eyes shifted to Rory and Cedric.

Feeling uncomfortable, Cho said, "I'm going for a walk."

"Do want me to come with you?" Harry asked.

She shook her head. "Stay here with your friends. I just want to be alone." Harry was oblivious to the emotion in Cho's voice. In fact, he barely noticed when she disappeared, nor that Hermione had sat down beside him.

Of course Ron noticed and right away he lectured her on fraternising with the enemy and within seconds yet another argument erupted between them. Luna, who hated turmoil, stood without a word and disappeared. Harry also decided leave Ron and Hermione alone to hopefully sort things out. Noticing that Cedric was no longer beside Rory, he decided to ask her to dance.

Rory nodded and Harry took her onto the dance floor. He couldn't help but notice how everything felt right at that moment. Rory snuggled in closer to Harry, the tears of bliss stung her eyes. It was as though there was nobody else in the room, when their lips met. Harry held her tighter, knowing it was wrong to put Rory through this, but at that moment he didn't care. Why couldn't they be happy, just once even if it was for just one dance? When the song ended, he peeled himself away from Rory and disappeared as quickly as he could. Tears were burning his eyelids and he needed to be alone.

He didn't count on being dragged into the middle of another round of Ron and Hermione's verbal slinging match, but that was precisely what had happened. "They're so scary when their older," Ron quipped as she hissed at them both to go to bed.

It was a sad and confused Rory, who found Hermione sobbing uncontrollably on the step. Together they held each other and cried the night away.


	16. Chapter 16 Jealous Hearts

It wasn't long before Viktor Krum found the two girls, huddled together, crying, and each understanding, without words, what the other was feeling.

"How is it, that such simple beings can be so complicated?" Hermione was the first to break the silence, in a desperate attempt to rationalise the events of such a disastrous evening. "I mean, take Ronald, for instance. He showed interest, back at the inn, that summer, but then when we come back here. It's like nothing happened and he didn't even ask me to the ball, but he acted like a jealous monster, when I said yes to somebody else, with whom I had the most magical time, I might add." She was smiling through her tears as her thoughts replayed their first waltz, when Viktor's face was looking down at her as he gently lifted Hermione and dipped her with the music, their lips only inches apart.

"They're so clueless!" Rory exclaimed, through sobs. "Harry and I got together that summer and we wrote often, all last semester, he stays with me the next summer dumps me, chases after Cho Chang and I'm led to believe it's over, but then he asked me to dance. We had the most amazing moment out there," Rory gestured to the dance floor, where only a few couples were moving slowly, more concerned with cuddling and snogging than actual dancing and spotted Ginny and Neville among them, "but then he breaks away from me like I've got some incurable disease and he can't get away from me fast enough."

"I don't think Harry means to hurt you. He's different to Ron. I think he just worries about you getting hurt. He worries about all of us and it's no wonder. Voldemort has already tried to hurt me and he almost killed Ginny. We're all Harry has, in his eyes, and if he lost us because of whom he is, he would never forgive himself."

"I guess you're right, but it doesn't hurt any less." Before they could talk any further, Viktor was upon them.

He tapped Hermione on the shoulder lightly and the startled movements of Hermione jolted Rory, away from thoughts of Harry, back to reality. "Hermione," he whispered, mispronouncing her name, so it sounded more like "Hermiowne", "Are you crying?"

"No," she lied, frantically brushing tears away. Realising that Hermione would never tell him what was making her so sad, he opted for the next best way to show her he was there for her. He opened his arms, beckoning for Hermione to sink into them and she did, burying her face into his chest. Rory took that as her cue to disappear.

With no desire to go back to the dance and no where else to be, Rory retired to the Ravenclaw dormitory and to her bed. She wanted to forget that night had even happened and in fact she wanted to forget her whole three and a half years since starting at Hogwarts had never happened.

Harry made no attempt to talk to Rory about that last dance and Rory tried to tell herself that it was because he was still trying to figure out the riddle of the golden dragon's egg, which Hermione told Rory was still puzzling him so. Everyone could see that the pressure of the tournament was taking its toll on Harry, especially since his capability was being questioned, since he was not only the only one in it under the age of seventeen, but significantly younger and inexperienced than the others at just fourteen.

Alas he did figure out the egg and was faced with another riddle to figure out, which plagued him right up until the moment he stood on the platform, looking over Black Lake, with the gilliweed in hand, which he had been given by Dobby.

Of course Rory had no idea what was going on in Harry's mind or anything to so with the second challenge, except that she was submerged in the lake with Mermaids circling around her, as if guarding her and the three others who were there with her. One of them was Hermione and she knew which champion was supposed to save her. The other was Cho and Rory thought for sure that Harry would try to save her first. It was no question that the little girl that was there with them was the sister of Fleur, but why was Rory there? Who would save her? Did Cedric care more about her than he had appeared to at the ball? Rory began to feel rotten, for she had been so worried about Harry, that she hadn't noticed that she had possibly hurt Cedric.

Harry was the first to arrive and when he saw Hermione Cho and Rory, all tied up, his face illustrated the confusion he was feeling. One was the girl who had been with him through every mission over the past three years, especially the last one, which Sirius Black's innocence had been discovered, the second was the girl he had asked to the Yule Ball and the third was the girl he had spent two summers with in Stars' Hollow. His eyes darted between those three and the little girl on the end, whose sister had yet to save. Viktor was the second to arrive and immediately began untying Hermione and instantly was gone. Then Cedric arrived and he too was confused as to who to rescue out of Rory and Cho, but mad as he was at Rory for treating Cedric like second best, he immediately began to untie Cho, with Harry's help. Then they, too where gone and Harry was left with Rory and the little girl, whose sister had yet to materialise and save her. He swam towards Fleur's sister and untied he, to Rory's horror.

Did he really not care about Rory at all, she wondered as he watched her clutch the girl under his ar,, but thoughts of doubt were short lived, when Harry began to untie Rory, too, in spite of the Mermaid's warning to only take one. Using fish like flippers, a result of the gilliweed, he pushed off, upwards, with an arm hooked around each girl, but the Mermaids were dragging them down. Harry kicked frantically at them, yet he seemed to be losing the fight.

He shouted at the Merpeople to move out of his way, drawing his wand out in desperation, they scattered, long enough for him to swim to the surface, though not without realizing that his flippers were now feet again and his gills were gone. He was swallowing water rapidly and his lungs were giving out, but not before he neared the surface, where another pair of arms was taking the small child out of his arms and leaving him with Rory. It was Ron, Harry realised and not a mermaid, as he originally thought. When Rory reached the surface the curse broke and she was breathing and moving on her own. Harry however was unconscious and without a moments hesitation, she dragged his limp body to the edge of the water, where Hermione was with Ron, helping the pair of them out of the water. Madame Pomfrey was immediately upon them, whisking them away so that she could resuscitate Harry, while Rory looked on tearfully, ignoring Hermione's reassurances that he would be alright.

Rory didn't know how she would live with herself if her last thoughts of Harry during his life were of jealousy. The boy she loved was lying on the platform, his life, hanging in the balance, and as far as Rory was concerned Harry Potter just had to pull through and live, for she needed the chance to make things right.


	17. Chapter 17 Celebrations

Harry Potter Spluttered back to life and all he could see around him was a sea of faces, all of which had expressions of worry and confusion, to just plain curious. What he didn't see was Rory's tears of relief streaming down her face. Madame Pomfrey had pushed her aside in her brisk desperation to get to Harry and Rory was sailing backwards, into the arms of Draco Malfoy.

Dazed, she rested against him for a moment, but then realized who was holding her and steadied herself with a start, dusting herself off as if to rid herself of a bad poison before it seaped into her skin. "Ew! Get off me!" she cried, spinning around on him.

"Hey, you fell on me, Honey!" Malfoy smirked.

With that, Rory stormed off, back to her quarters and flung herself onto her bed. Each tear, now tears of anger and disgust, burned her cheeks and were forming a puddle on her pillow, soaking it through.

At first she was violently brushing them out of her eyes, but there was just so many of them. She gave up and let them continue to fall until she fell asleep.

Hours later there was laughter and celebration in the common room, for Cedric Diggory had been the decided winner of the second task, securing him a spot in the final task. Rory rose from her bed and decided to join in the festivities in order to take her mind off Harry and her run-in with Draco. She spotted Cho swooning over Cedric and was about to catch up with her, but then she saw Paris, standing off to the side, with a half grin, which turned to a full scowl when her eyes met Rory.

Something snapped inside Rory, for she was tired of the war Paris was waging against her. "So is this how it's always going to be, Paris?" she asked approaching the sullen girl.

"Whatever do you mean, Gilmore?" Paris retorted.

"Well, you've hated me since first year, although for what reason I don't understand, I mean. I beat you every year at school and I'm practically top of the class, but you are so blindsighted by your hate of me that you can't concentrate on yourself and your grades enough to even try to come close to me. You can't get the top grades, so you take down everyone who does? Is that the only way you can be the top of the class? What is with that Paris?"

"What do you care, Rory? You don't know me." Paris hissed.

"NO? Well maybe that's because you won't let anyone know you. Why, is it because its easier to take them down if you don't connect with them? How is that working for you Paris, huh? Rory didn't notice that half the room had stopped cheering and singing to see what the commotion was that Rory and Paris were causing. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're the one losing. You've got no friends and you aren't getting your way, so maybe you should rethink the way you're treating everybody around you, especially me, because I have had it!"

"Hey don't take it out on me because your boyfriend, dumped you!" Paris retorted.

"At least I had one, Paris. I haven't seen anyone ask YOU to the ball." Rory shouted.

"I would have said no," Paris said smugly.

"I pity you." With that, her final comment, Rory stormed out of the common room, leaving behind a very stunned and wounded Paris, to find Hermione. She had to find out if Harry was alright.

She shouted the password, Hermione had given her at the Fat Lady in the portrait, who let her in, finding herself amid another celebration. The Weazley twins were slapping Harry on the back and Neville Longbottom was beaming proudly. Even little Dobby was enjoying himself, staring in admiration of his saviour, Harry Potter. Harry had tricked his master, Lucius Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock, therefore setting him free. Dobby had felt forever indebted to Harry since that day. That night he danced and sang his own made up tunes about Harry's victory.

It was he who noticed Rory was there. "Hello Rory Gilmore, friend of Harry Potter."

"Hi Dobby," Rory whispered, smiling, relieved to see that Harry was okay. "This is quite a party here, tonight." She looked around in awe, that although Cedric had been undisputed as the winner, the Gryffindors were celebrating as if Harry had won the challenge, or perhaps it was that the Gryffindors knew how to throw a party.

Dobby proudly told Rory how he had been sneaking food from the kitchen to the common room, all night - anything for his Harry Potter. "Harry Potter, your friend Rory Gilmore is here to see you."

"Actually I was here –" to see Hermione she didn't get to say. Too late, Harry's eyes met hers from across the room and a smile crossed his lips. Dobby muttered something about getting more food, as Harry approached Rory.

"I'm glad you're here, we need to talk." He said beckoning for her to follow him into his dorm. A glimmer of hope shone in her heart, but she quickly squashed it. What was she thinking. Harry wouldn't ask her to come back to him. No, he wouldn't do that. He's probably going to sit me down and tell me it's over, for good, no chance of reconsidering, Rory thought. I might even get an explanation why, Rory thought, deciding that that was all she could hope for.

He sat down on his bed and Rory moved to sit in the chair at his desk, but Harry patted the spot on his bed beside him. "I've been a right foul git, haven't I."

"Well..." Rory's voice trailed off.

"It's okay you can agree with me because I know have." A tear slipped down her cheek.

He thought of putting his arm around her to comfort her, but he wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. "Rory, I still care for you."

"But why – " Rory asked.

"When I said we should break up, I was scared. We were going so great together, but every time we got close this strange voice whispered stuff and it was like someone else was there with us, when it should just be us." Harry didn't know if he should be telling Rory this or how she would take it, but he was desperate. He didn't want go to on the way they had, pretending it should be any other way than Harry and Rory, together.

"Harry, I know you're trying to protect me."

"I know, but I know I'm only hurting you more, but you see, Voldemort took my Parents and took away any chance of happiness as a result. He's already tried to take Ginny and Hermione. It just scares me that he would go after people I care about, and I can't lose you, but I know that I'm losing you anyway, because of how I've treated you."

"That's not true, Harry." Rory took his hand. "Sure I'm hurt. I love you Harry and these last few months have been torture, especially the Cho thing, but you're not losing me."


	18. Chapter 18 Making Progress

"So what do we do about this?" Rory asked. She was fully aware of Harry's hand in her and the sensations rippling through her, at the very thought of his touch. Neither of them could deny that they still had a connection between them, that neither could explain.

"I don't know." Harry stared into her piercing blue eyes, eyes that clearly adored him, like nothing he'd experienced before. He leaned closer to her, allowing the blue pools to draw him in until their lips met. At first they were tentative like the first kiss, but then hunger took over and Harry was aware of his body taking over as his hand snaked around her, holding her like he would never let her go. He didn't want to. He wanted this moment to last forever.

He pushed her gently back onto the bed so he was lying on top of her and his hand crept up beneath her school blouse.

As much as the rational side of her mind told her to stop him, she didn't want to. She too was caught up in the moment and the festive mood, plus there was the hope that this was it and they were getting back together.

"Rory..." Harry sighed.

"She's lovely ..." There was that voice again.

"No! I won't let you destroy this." Harry was fighting to suppress that voice, the one he knew did not belong to him.

He raised his wand arm and cast a protection charm on the dorm, so they wouldn't be disturbed. "I love you, Rory..." He pulled his hand away only to fumble with her buttons. She could feel the cool spring air on her chest as he pushed the fabric aside and kissed the valley between her breasts. He reached under her back and she arched so he could reach the clasp of her bra. In no time it was undone and he was lifting it away from her exposed breasts.

His lips met her nipples, alternating between the two, as his hand travelled beneath her skirt and was removing her panties. He lowered them over her knees to her ankles and she kicked them away. He unzipped his jeans and lowered himself, pushing her thighs apart, until he met her entrance.

Rory wrapped her arms around hi tight as he entered, slowly until the gut-wrenching pain subsided and pleasure took over. She screamed with pleasure as he thrust deeper and when they both finished, he lay beside her, his head resting on her arm as it remained wrapped around him.

"Thank you, Rory." He whispered lovingly.

They're lips met, much more tenderly. "Harry?" she dared to speak. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?" He asked. He himself didn't know what this meant.

"Where does this leave us? I mean do we get back together?" She asked.

"Rory, I love you, I really do, but I don't think the time is right. Voldemort, is getting stronger, I just know it and I have this tournament, and I just don't know."

"But, we – " she protested, not sure of what to make of what he was saying. How she wish her mother was here to talk to about this, to help her make sense of it all. Lorelei was good with this sort of thing.

"Rory, what we did was a beautiful thing, but don't you understand what getting together would mean?" He was resting on the crook of his elbow as Rory sat bolt upright.

"I think we should try, Harry. If you're worried about me getting hurt because of you, then don't." She was hooking her bra back up and standing up.

"He'll hurt you, Rory." Harry said. "He will, just to get to me."

"I don't care about Voldemort! All I want is you." Harry was now sitting, with his feet dangling over the side of the bed and Rory stood inches away, wrapping her arms around his neck . "Whatever happens, don't you think it will worth have some measley moments of happiness. Harry, you deserve it and so do I."

"Rory I have to think about this, thoroughly. Yes I want to be with you, but not at the cost of your life, because that is what it will come down to."

"Then I'll die loving you. Harry isn't it better to have loved and lost, then to not love at all?" She whispered.

"I said I'll think about it." He stood and gently pushed past her. Stopping only to remove the protection charm, Harry left Rory standing in the dorm, tears dripping down. What had gone wrong? They were making progress, and they had made love. She had given herself to him and he just walked out with any promise to get back together, just that he would "think" about it, like there was any other option. As far as Rory saw it there was only one option. Rory and Harry needed each other. They needed to be together, for weren't they owed a little bit of happiness?

She edged her way out of the room and into the Common room, where it was Hermione who spotted her. "Rory!" She rushed at her. "Are you okay?"

Rory shook her head. "No..." she sobbed in a small voice.

The two decided to find a spot in the library, where it was quient and away from the others so they could talk. Rory then told her about what had happened between her and Harry.

"I just so confused." Rory sobbed.

"He really does love you," Hermione reassured her. "There's no doubt about that. He's in a battle between his heart and his head. Don't be too hard on him or yourself. He'll come around and realize that he needs you."

Rory knew Hermione was right. She only hoped it would be soon.


	19. Chapter 19 Rory's Hideaway

Rory did not go back to her dorm. She had no desire for another run-in with Paris, nor was she tired at all. All she wanted was to find a place to be by herself, curl up with a book and escape her troubles. She'd been to the library and found a copy of the Tales of Beedle the Bard and was wondering through the hall, clutching it to her chest, dreading the very thought of confronting Paris again. Frankly as far as Rory was concerned, the girl needed to grow up, and grow a personality while she's at it.

She rounded a corner and was aware of a door, she had never noticed before. She pushed it open, peeked inside and gasped, for what she saw was the very place she was looking for, only she hadn't known it. On the far wall was a fire place, lit with a blazing flame, filling the room with warmth. All around were candles, lighting up the room so that every part of it was revealed to the awestruck girl. In the centre of the room, facing the fireplace was a couch, with fluffy Ravenclaw blue cushions, arranged neatly across the back of it and folded neatly on the seat was a wool blanket, the colour of which matched the cushions.

Rory sank into the comfort of the couch and immediately felt like she was at home. The opened the book and immersed herself in it. Soon however she was asleep. The next thing she remembered was waking up the next morning feeling for a moment like nothing had changed for her. Then she remembered the night before, when she and Harry... but then he had broken her heart all over again.

She wiped her eyes, as if trying to wipe away the memory. Starting from that moment she decided she was not going spend her life, waiting for Harry Potter to hurt her again. From that moment on Rory was not going to speak to him or think of him. She certainly wasn't going to try anymore to win him back.

With deep regret, Rory left her newfound sanctuary and headed to the Great hall for breakfast. As usual, there was a feast waiting for her and as usual, the room was full of hungry students happily butter their bread, sipping orange juice or as in a few cases, absently stirring their oatmeal as they tried desperately to wake up. As usual, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat huddled together and Rory knew they were conspiring, already with their focus on getting Harry through the final task, whatever that may be. Ron, as usual was ogling Fleur Delacour, who was completely oblivious as she chatted with her friends, but for one glance in his direction, only to spy Harry as she retold the story of the day be fore's events.

Harry, just like Ron and every boy in that Hall, was drooling over her. When their eyes connected he blushed and turned his gaze down wards, whaile Hermione desperately tried to regain both Harry and Ron's attention.

As usual Malfoy was with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, lapping up the attention he was getting from Pansy Parkinson. Rory could feel his eyes boring into her flesh as she made her way to the Ravenclaw Table, where Paris as usual was was complaining about her food to whoever would listen. At that moment it was Cho who was subjected to Paris' constant wining. Cho's eyes met Rory's and immediately Rory rolled her eyes. Cho raised her dark eyebrows in response, and Rory could see the look of desperation in her friend's eyes.

Deciding not to bother with Paris that morning, Rory found a seat at the opposite end of the table, next to a tall brown haired boy she knew from her year. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," she replied. She began helping herself with some pieces of bacon and scrambled egg.

"I don't think we've ever actually met before. I'm Dean." The boy continued.

"I'm Rory. You're in my Potion's class, right?" she asked. He nodded. "How do you find the lessons?"

"They're okay, I guess." Rory observed the boy's accent, which was definitely American. "Professor Snape really is a hard ass though."

"I know! He should so lighten up." Rory exclaimed. "I mean what is with the dark mysterious act?"

Dean shrugged. "You know some students are saying he was once a Death eater."

"No way! Rory cried, a little too loudly. "Not Snape!"

"Not Snape, what, Miss Gilmore?" a voice Boomed behind her and instantly she knew that no matter what she said, she was going to be in trouble. She turned slowly and her eyes lifted slowly, taking in the dark figure until her eyes met the coal black eyes of Severus Snape.

"Um, nothing, sir." Rory's face was pale as a sheet of parchment.

"Detention, my office, after school, both of you." With a dramatic swish of his robe, the stern Potions master turned away from the two bewildered students and was off in the direction of the Gryffindor table.

"I guess I'll see you in detention, then." Dean was finishing the last bite of his toast and strawberry jam, before rising from the table.

"I guess I will," Rory answered, smiling.

Then Dean was gone and she was once again alone, completely oblivious to the fact that Harry was watching her with a slightly jealous curiosity.

"Hermione, who is that guy?" he asked.

"What guy?" she answered.

"Rory was sitting with a guy a minute ago and they looked pretty chummy.

Hermione watched the guy in question, strut away from the table, brushing his hair back. He was looking over his shoulder, probably stealing a glance at Rory. "Oh him! That's Dean Forrester. He's new, a transfer from Durmstrang. I wonder if Viktor knew him?"

"Not a bad beater, that Dean," Ron chipped in. "They say the Cannons are interested in him, once he finishes school.

"I've never noticed him before, now, not even on the pitch." Harry speculated.

"Do you notice anyone on the pitch?" Hermione asked.

"I notice Malfoy."

"That's because you hate him, not to mention, because he's a git," Ron added.

"True."


	20. Chapter 20 Kissing a Boy

Dean was already standing outside Snape's office when Rory arrived to do her detention. He was leaning against the wall, his arms folded and his head resting against the cold stone.

"So we meet again!" Rory greeted him, cheerfully, well as cheerful as she could be considering, she was sure Snape had something terrible for them to do while they served detention. "I'm so sorry you got dragged into it."

"Hey I'm guilty by association! That's cool with me, besides I get to spend an afternoon with a lovely lady such as yourself." He smiled and her stomach flip-flopped. She only wished he was Harry.

Snape popped his head out of the door. "Gilmore, Forester, you're here. Good, I need you to refile these potions recipes, in alphabetical order. You will not leave until it's done." He lead them into the office, where a large filing cabinet lay open, with parchment poking out of folders. Rory gazed in horror, realising that they would not see anymore daylight that night. It looked as though they would be there until lights out, still sorting.

"Yes sir," they both said, when Snape asked if he had made himself clear on what they were there to do. "Well I guess the quicker we start the sooner we'll be finished. We'll start with the top drawer?" Rory asked.

"Eye-eye Captain!" Dean agreed, and they set to work.

Afterward, they went back to their common room, still giggling about some of the names for different ingredients and potion names, especially the descriptions of what they do!

"Who knew that you could make a potion that enables you to look like somebody else. Imagine the tricks you could play on people." Dean was in awe as he spoke of the recipe for Polyjuice potion that he had glanced at as they worked.

"Harry, Hermione and Ron made some in second year when they wanted to trick Malfoy into giving them information about the heir of Slytherin. They were supposed to double as Crabbe Goyle and Pansy, only Hermione's didn't work. She turned into a cat!"

Dean burst out laughing and Rory noticed how his face wrinkled up when he did it. "Well that's no surprise. I don't think Pansy has anything that doesn't have her cat's hair all over it."

Rory couldn't remember the last time, she had felt so happy. Was it possible that she was feeling something for a boy who wasn't Harry? Suddely Dean stopped, grabbing Rory's arm so that she too stopped walking.

"Did you here something? Is everything okay?" she asked. Dean put his finger to his lips to shush her. Then he leaned towards her until his lips brushed against hers lightly. Rory's lips parted and the kiss deepened. For just a moment, Rory was swept up in the feeling of Dean's arms wrapped around her, but then the thoughts of Harry took over and Rory was suddenly aware that the boy she was kissing was not Harry and that Harry would be hurt by this thing that was developing between her and Dean. "I have to go somewhere!" she blurted, pushing Dean away and running until she found her secret sanctuary.

The confused boy sauntered off to bed.

Rory flopped onto her comfy couch and pulled the blanket around her and cried for the confusion she was feeling. She loved. She really did and she was sure he loved her, even if he was too stubborn to let himself love her, but the feelings stirred up by her time with Dean confused her. Was she falling for another boy, or was missing Harry playing tricks on her? She did not know the answers to the millions of questions that circled her mind.

She let out a scream in frustration.

Then she found a piece of parchment, some ink and a quill and began to write an owl to the one person who could help her make sense of the feelings she was struggling to deal with.

_Mom,_

_I kissed a boy who wasn't Harry. I love Harry and he loves me, but he thinks I'll only get hurt if we see each other. I've been so confused by the signals Harry is sending and I met Dean today. He kissed me and I kissed him back. I don't know what to do!_

_Rory._

She summoned her owl and attached the letter to its leg. She scratched its head, lovingly, it squawked and then it flew out into the night, bound for Stars' Hollow.

It flew through the doors of Miss Patty's Dance Studio, where Taylor was holding a town meeting, straight to Lorelei, landing on her shoulder. "Lorelei! How many times must I tell you. No pets at Town Meetings!" Taylor cried, banging his gavel.

"I'm sorry Taylor it won't happen again," Lorelei apologised mockingly.

"I didn't know you had a pet, Lorelei. She's a beauty!" Babette screeched. She was already making her way from the front of the hall to where Lorelei sat in the back to pet the creature.

"I didn't know you could legally keep owls as pets. Taylor isn't there a law that forbid it?" Kirk piped up.

"Its not mine. It's Rory's." Lorelei tried to explain, tearing open the envelope.

"Rory has an owl?" Lane cried. Her eyes widen incredulously. "Mama, Rory Rory has an owl! Can I get an owl?"

"No Lane. They are not pets." Mrs Kim barked in broken English.

"Okay, Mama. No owls." Lane's face fell, now that she was over the fact that Rory had the coolest pet ever.

"People can I have you attention!" BANG! Taylor's gavel came down, wildly as he struggled to maintain the interests of the town's people. "People! People! PEOPLE!" He cried. "Well I can see you're tiny minds are preoccupied with this disease spreading, poop dropping creature that has disturbed us, thank you Lorelei, for disrupting yet another meeting. This meeting is adjourned!" The gavel hit again with two resounding BANGs and everybody bustled out.

Only Lorelei was left reading the letter and feeling helpless, realising that her little girl was growing up, falling in love and getting hurt, with no one to turn to, and there was not a thing she could do to help it from where she was in this crazy little town.


	21. Chapter 21 Floo Not Flu

"Oh my God, Sookie, I want to kill him!" Lorelei ranted as Sookie poured her a large mug of coffee.

"Kill who? Lorelei, what's going on!" Sookie studied her friend's blazing eyes.

"That little punk, Potter kid. He's breaking my little girl's heart!" she groaned in sheer frustration.

Sookie sat at the round table, opposite Lorelei. "Young Harry Potter? He's so sweet!"

"Yeah he was sweet, when he was, like, eleven. I can't believe it! I even defended that kid to my parents! He's such a rat. I want to go there and kick his arrogant little ass!" Neither women noticed the smoke that was escaping Lorelei's ears.

"Lorelei, you've got to calm down! Rory's almost fifteen. She is going to have her heart broken in life. Plus she's over the other side of the world. It's not like you can just storm across the ocean and rescue her, even though I know you want to."

"No I can't but I get there by Floo!" She stood."I need a fireplace and Floo powder. I am going find that kid and make him see sense!"

Sookie stared at her friend as if she had grown a second head. She knew what Lorelei was like when she was mad, but this was far beyond that. Everything she was saying about powder and fireplaces and the flu, was pure nonsense to Sookie's ears and she was seriously worried about Lorelei.

"You want a fireplace and some powder so you can make yourself sneeze because you want the floo, and this is going to help Rory, how, exactly?"

"Not the flu, Sookie, Floo! F-L-O-O – forget it!"The choked down her coffee and threw on her coat. "I have to go!" Lorelei dashed out of the house and across the street and didn't stop until she was standing beside her Jeep, jamming the key in the lock.

"This is crazy!" she muttered as she climbed into the driver's seat of her car and turned on the ignition. She could not believe she was seeking help from the two people who she never expected to need again. She could only imagine how they would react, when they found out that the boy they had warned her about was solely responsible for shattering their grand daughter's life. On the bright side, she had a thirty minute drive to prepare for the inevitable "I told you so" which was bound to escape Emily Gilmore's lips.

When Emily opened the door a half hour later, her eyes turned sour. A visit from her daughter, out of the blue was such a rare occasion that when it occurred, usually there was something wrong. "Lorelei! To what do we owe the pleasure?" she barked giving her daughter a once over with her eyes. She noted the worry that haunted Lorelei's face.

"Mom, is your Floo network connected?" she asked.

"Well yes it is, isn't yours?" Emily asked, puzzled.

"I'm out of powder. Mom, can I use your fireplace and some powder. I need to get to Hogwarts. Rory needs me."Rory barged past her mother into the sitting room, where Richard was casually sipping a Marguerita while reading a copy of Time Magazine. He glance up from the page he was reading and was startled to see Lorelei frantically throwing Floo powder into the fireplace. "Lorelei! Is everything alright?"

"No time to explain, Dad. Rory needs me!" Lorelei's voice was shaking with anger and worry and Richard was growing quite alarmed.

""Is Rory okay? Is she hurt?" he asked.

"Yes, she's hurt and it's all that little Punk, Harry Potter's fault! Hogwarts!" she screamed as she stepped into the fireplace and, instantly, she disappeared.

"Mom!" A girl in blue school robes, she barely recognised as her own daughter flew into her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to have a little talk with your friend Harry, you know, the one that's been messing with your head. I'm going tell him that screwing with my daughter –," she missed the blush that spread across Rory's cheeks, "is not on!"

"Mom, no!" She pulled away from her mother.

"I'm shocked and eternally grateful that you came all the way here, how I am not sure, to rescue me, but you didn't need to. Harry and I will work things out, you'll see. It's complicated right now." Rory shifted her eyes away from her mothers' matching baby blues.

"Is that the line he fed you? Rory I knew nothing good would come of this thing with him! You'll find better, I promise you that. Oh speaking of better, tell me about Dean!" She nudged her daughter and smiled in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.

"Oh Merlin! Poor Dean! He must be so confused right now. I don't blame him if he never speaks to me again. He must think I'm a complete wacko!" She started down the hall towards her dorm. "I have to find him and apologise. We'll talk later!" Then she rounded the corner and was gone, leaving Lorelei feeling like a whirl wind had pushed right through her.

She wandered aimlessly through the halls, unsure of where she was going, only aware of how lost she was getting. A greasy haired man with black velvet robes bumped into her and she cringed. She knew thins man had to Snape, from the stories Rory had told her over the years.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"I came by floo. I needed to see my daughter, Rory, you know the pretty girl who looks like me, only less wrinkles?" Lorelei was disgusted with herself that she was resorting to her usual flirtatious methods of getting out of trouble with a greasy hair git who, she was sure had never seen a bottle of shampoo before. If he had, she thought, she was sure his hair would fall out with fright and be thankful to be rid of him.

"Rory Gilmore?" He asked, knowing exactly who she was talking about. "I do believe I had the pleasure of her company in detention earlier this evening."

"Wow! Her first detention. I'm shocked, but I must say extremely proud. So did you make her bang erasers?" Lorelei joked.

"I beg your pardon?" Snape spat.

"Never mind," She answered, realising Rory had been right when she said her Potions teacher had no sense of humour what so ever. "Anyway, I found her. She's gone again, off to apologise to the boy she accidently kissed and I'm babbling like an idiot aren't I?"

"Indeed. Safe trip home, Ms Gilmore." Amused, he cracked a small smile before continuing his way down the hall.

"Stupid school," Lorelei muttered and decided she would back track to where she came from.


	22. Chapter 22 Rory and Dean

Dean sat by the fireplace in the Ravenclaw common room, with a book of Quidditch plays in his lap, only he wasn't reading it. He was staring into space, unable to take his mind off Rory and that amazing kiss, not to mention the confusing chain of events after that moment. What had gone wrong, he wondered? Had he done something wrong? Perhaps it was too soon to kiss her, or perhaps she just wasn't into him, despite the signals she was sending, particularly when she had kissed him back.

He watched the flames dance and he thought how funny it was how people often said they gained some sort of clarity from fire gazing. If that was true then, it was not showing any signs of working that night.

Rory burst through the door and stopped in her tracks when she saw Dean. She felt her own fire burning in her cheeks as their eye's met. For a moment all that could be heard was the cracking of the fire. Neither one could find the words to break this uncomfortable silence.

Both were frozen like statues and Rory couldn't stand it any longer. "Dean, we need to talk."

"I know." He was grateful he wasn't the one to break the ice. "That kiss was – ,"

"Amazing, wonderful, and everything a kiss should be, but –,"

Dean cut back in. "It was a mistake."

"Yes! It was a mistake that should never happen again, because I still love Harry, even if we can't together, it just feels so wrong to be kissing another guy, not that you're not kissable, because you clearly are... for someone else. You deserve that Dean, someone who can give you their all, because I'm too torn and confused to be able to give that to you."

"Rory, you're an amazing girl. I hope Potter realises what he's missing."

Neither of them noticed that they were now standing inches from each other now, Dean having abandoned his book. It lay face down on the seat where he had been sitting.

"I'm sure he will, some time. I am so sorry, Dean, if I hurt you."

"I know. It's okay. You don't have to explain it. We can't be anything more than friends." He rested his hand on her shoulder and in an equally trancelike fashion Rory closed her eyes and let the warmth of his touch soak through her.

"Yes... Friends... We're just... Friends...." They're lips met again and Rory sank into his arms.

Later in her bed, Rory lay awake thinking about that second kiss. It was just as wonderful as the first, if not more so and she couldn't help but feel a wonderful sense of bliss, that she hadn't felt in a long time.

As much as she loved Harry and would always love him, while he was off winning tournaments and saving the world and everything else that prevented him from truly giving himself to Rory, Dean was here and he was willing to do what Harry would never do. Dean was throwing caution to the wind to be with her, while Harry was so busy "protecting" her that he couldn't let himself just be with her.

She decided it was time to put away her dreams of forever with Harry. That dream was just too unattainable. Maybe Dean was just what she needed to get over Harry for good. She smiled as she let her mind wander back to that kiss. Dean... she thought and liked the way it sounded in her mind. Rory and Dean... She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, happy for once.

When she dressed and left her dorm the next morning, Dean was in the Common roon waiting for her. He extended his elbow in a D shape. "Shall we go to breakfast?" he asked, smiling.

Rory hooked her arms through his. "Why not, let's go." They remained arm in arm as the entered the Great Hall and both were oblivious to Harry's jealous stare.

"Who does that guy think he is, Prince Bloody Charming?" Harry muttered as he watched Dean pull the chair out for Rory. Was Harry that easy to move on from, he thought? Suddenly the huge appetite he normally had had disappeared.

"Harry. You have to let her be happy." Hermione, who sat beside him, knew what it felt like to pine after a guy who didn't know she existed. "She loved you, Harry and I'm sure deep down she always will, but she can't just sit around waiting until you stop pushing her aside."

"I'm pushing her aside?" Harry exploded.

"Yes you are, Harry. I know you don't want to hear this, but that poor girl has been in limbo nearly a year, waiting for you to take her back." She rested her hand on his shoulder.

"She knows why I can't be with her!" He stood pushing his plate away.

"Does she, know the truth I mean? All of this talk about protecting her, protecting us all, it's a mask, isn't it, Harry. You're just scared she's going to hurt you like everyone else who's supposed to love you." Her heart ached for her friend as she watched his face soften, for just a moment. She knew she had gotten to the truth at that very moment.

"Well she's going a bloody good job of it." With that he stormed off.

"You can't keep running from everyone who loves you, Harry!" Hermione shouted after him, but Harry either didn't hear or chose to ignore it. Hermione knew it was more likely to be the second case.

"What's up with him?" Ron asked sitting down on the other side of the table, across from Hermione.

"Oh, nice of you to grace us with your presence, Ronald." She barked at him.

He winced. "Granger, you're so scary, sometimes, especially when you call me that. You sound like my mum! So what's wrong with Harry?"

"That," Hermione whispered point to Dean and Rory who were laughing at something at that moment.

Ron turned to see what Hermione was pointing at. "Wow, she moved on fast."

"Well I guess she got sick of waiting for Harry to decide what he wants." She stabbed a piece of bacon with her fork and violently began to massacre it with her knife.

"Poor Harry..."

"Poor Harry? Ron, she's been pining over him for nearly a year! He just keeps hurting her and pushing her aside. I know how much that hurts," she said pointedly, glaring at Ron, but then her face soften. "It's not right. Those two should have been together and happy, but he's letting fear get in the way of that and he doesn't realise he's hurt her in the process. Those Dursley's must have been so terrible to him, for him to be so scared of love."

"When I see that Dudley next, I'm going to hex him into oblivion I swear!" He couldn't imagine having a family that cruel. He had only ever know the love his parents showered on them all as they grew up.

"And the rest of that horrid family, believe me, Ron, you won't be the only one." They continued to eat in silence.

"So," Ron said. "Rory and Dean, Huh?"

"Rory and Dean..." Hermione muttered.


	23. Chapter 23 Showdown at the Gilmores'

The conversation which followed her returned to Richard and Emily's sitting room, was only to be expected. The Gilmores, especially Emily, wanted answers and there was no way Lorelei could leave without giving some explanation for her erratic behaviour.

"Lorelei, you can't just push your way into our home, demand to use the Floo network and not give some sort of reason why! It's impolite!"

"Sorry, Mom, it won't happen again! The next time Rory has a crisis, I'll remember my manners before dashing of to see if she's okay, which she is. She's fine, thank you for asking."

"That's good. I'm glad she's okay. So what was wrong?" Emily's voice softened.

"Rory suffered her first heartbreak, her first feelings for a second boy and her first detention. I needed to see if she was okay after the owl I received from her earlier." Lorelei sat on the edge of the sofa and Emily took her usual chair.

"A boy? All of this commotion was over a boy? What boy, Lorelei?" Emily asked, alarmed that Rory might suddenly follow her mother's path.

"Harry Potter."

"That scoundrel?" Emily burst. "How could you let this happen, Lorelei?"

"It's not like I could've stopped it Mom."

"Yes you could've and you damn well should've! Now's she's getting detention. She's becoming YOU Lorelei." Emily chastised.

Lorelei reeled as if she had been slapped. "No she's not Mom! She's sensible and smart and driven. You don't have to be afraid, Mom. Rory's not going to suddenly announce she's pregnant and ruin all our hopes and dreams for her. Yes I could've stopped her, Mom, but then I would've been just like you."

"Oh so we're back to this again, are we?" Emily whispered, her eyes were glistening, but she refused to fall apart.

"You brought us back here, Mom."

"Lorelei, I think you better leave. I'm tired I want to go to bed. You can show yourself out. Enjoy the rest of your night."

"Don't mind if I do!" With that Lorelei marched out of her parent's house and drove home, hot angry tears stinging her eyes. As always her parents could be counted on for nothing, especially understanding and compassion. Nope, that wasn't the Gilmore way.

The light was on in Luke's Diner when Lorelei reached Stars' Hollow and her coffee addiction took over. She parked out the front by the kerb and sauntered into the diner. "Hey," she greeted him as she took up a stool at the counter.

"Hey yourself. That was some meeting, wasn't it? I think your owl just single handedly saved the deer population of Stars' Hollow. You should be very proud." Without instruction he placed a large mug on the counter and poured a coffee from the pot.

"Yeah," Lorelei whispered glumly. "Thanks for the Coffee, Luke."

"It's on the house. Rough night?" He asked.

"I guess you could say that." As much as she wanted to pour her heart out to him, she knew he would never understand. How could he? He was a muggle, a small town American loner who own a diner and knew nothing of witches and Wizards and school's of magic. He was just Luke Danes, the man who poured her coffee and made her breakfast everyday.

"Hey, how's your "Bagel Hockey" skills? You must be pretty rusty, now that Rory's not here all the time to edge you on." That was Luke's attempt to cheer Lorelei up, which Lorelei was grateful for.

"Are you challenging me, Mr Danes? I could still kick your butt." She stood and moved to the end of the counter as Luke fished a bagel out of a container and took up his position at the opposite end of the counter and frim that moment on it was "Game on!"

"I can't believe I'm encouraging this childish and wasteful behaviour. I must have serious rocks in my head."

"You love it." Lorelei smile and shot one past him.

The following Evening, on the other side of the globe, Rory and Dean sat in the confort of each other's arms in Rory's secret Hideaway.

"So how did you find this place?" Dean asked in awe.

"It was by accident really. I was looking for somewhere quiet to be by myself and I stumbled apon a door, that I've never noticed before. I guess I always assumed it was a broom closet of some sort, but I walked in and saw all of this and it was like everything I needed in one place, " she explained, not wanting to elaborate on the reason she needed time alone to begin with.

"Well it's a beautiful place." Dean stroked Rory's hair as they stared into the crackling fire. Rory sighed and leaned back so her head was resting on his chest.

"So, where in the "States" are your family from?" Rory asked.

"Chicago, at the moment, but we move around alot." Dean explained.

"That must be hard. I could never say goodbye all the time. I'm glad I've only ever lived in Stars' Hollow. I think I's be sad to say goodbye to all the people in that town." Rory shivered at the thought.

"It wasn't easy, but now I attend Hogwarts I get to put down roots somewhere and make friends. Clara finds it hard to make friends." Dean said, hoping that his sister would get excepted into Hogwarts the following year.

"She's your little sister, right?" Rory asked and Dean nodded.

"Yeah, we're very close."

"I don't have any brothers and sisters. My mom had me when she was very young," Rory disclosed.

"How young?"

"Seventeen. Richard and Emily never got over it."

"Richard and Emily?" Dean queried.

"Her parents and my grandparents. Don't get me wrong. They love me more than anything in the world, but I was just born at the wrong time and spoiled all their grand plans for my Mom."

"Wow!"

"Anyway, enough talk about that," Rory said, desperately wanting to do something other than talk about her home life, for she was missing it, especially since her mother's impromptu visit. "Oh no! I left Mom stranded in the school. I hope she got back okay." She turned to face him, the worry took over her pretty face.

"I'm sure, she'll be fine," Dean reassured her.

He brushed a hair out her eyes and leaned down. They're lips met. One of his hands was caressing her back, lightly, while the other lingered on her stomach and was travelling upwards, but rested rested just under breast, driving Rory crazy with need. Her kisses grew more urgent as their desire grew for each other, but Dean was unsure how slow he needed to take things. He brushed over her breast lightly before caressing her arm and shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Uh huh," she whispered, nodding frantically, but her mind was racing. The last person who had held her dumped her, repeatedly and even after she had given herself to him and now she was hungry for that same level of affection, but scared at the same time.

As if she was trying to prove something to Dean and to herself, she climbed on top of his lap, straddling him and cupped his chin with two hands, kissing violently.

His hands slid up her back as he eased into the kiss, aware of the sudden urgency and at the same time, liking it. He gripped her shoulders before releasing that grip and allowing himself to caress her side, brushing his thumb down the side of her breast. His caresses grew bolder as he encompassed more of her mounds with his hands.

"Rory..." He whispered.

"Harry..."

At the same time they both pulled away from each other. "You still like him, don't you?" She nodded and began to cry. "So why are you with me?"

"I thought you would be good for me, so I can get over him." Right away she wished she had thought before blurting that out.

"You're with me to get over Harry. Well that's great Rory, but tell me what happens if you don't get over him? Am I supposed to wait?"

"I don't know, Dean. I'm so confused."

"Well," Dean said, pushing Rory off of his lap. "How about I make things easier for you. I have to go."

"I'm really sorry," Rory sobbed.

"Save it for Harry. You deserve each other." Then he was gone.

In the bottom of her heart knew there was no arguing that point, for she knew Dean was right. She had done to Dean what Harry had done her, broken his heart.


	24. Chapter 24 He's Back

The cheering stopped and a deafening silence filled the air as Harry laid Cedric's body on the ground. Harry's face was caked in blood, with trails of tears streaming through it on to Cedric's face and he was gasping for air, between sobs. "He's back!" he kept shouting. "Voldemort's back and he's killed Cedric!"

Dumbledore gently pushed Harry aside so that he and Madame Pomfrey could take a look at the the boy whose was already paled from death. Rory made to rush to Harry's side, along with Hermione and Ron, but Mad-Eye Moody was already leading him away. Both Hermione and Rory were sobbing uncontrollably, while a stunned Ron conforted them both.

"We have to go to him!" Rory cried.

"He'll be okay. Moody is with him." Ron whispered.

"No! We have to follow them!" Rory screamed.

"She's right, Ron. Harry needs us."

It was at that moment, Dumbledore tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "Where's Potter. I told him to wait."

"He went off with Moody." Rory explained.

"Right, well, I had better get Severus – uh Snape to accompany me to Moody's office." The headmaster was gone in a flash and no one in the present company missed the panicked espression on his face. Something was definitely wrong.

"I'm going to Moody's office, who's with me?" Rory said.

"I'm in. Ron?" Hermione glared at the freckle faced boy.

"Of course. Harry needs us." Without hesitation the three of them went off in the direction of Moody's office. It was outside Moody's door, they heard Harry shouting. "You won't get away with this, Crouch!"

"Oh, but I am already my boy. Do you deny me the chance for glory in the eyes of the dark lord?" Moody's voice boomed, but it was weakening.

"We need to get in there!" Rory hissed.

"And how do you suppose we do that, Gilmore?" Ron retorted, trying desperately to twist the door knob to let them in, but realising that the door was locked.

"We just... have to... somehow," cried a frustrated Rory, who was pushing Ron aside so she could jiggle with the door. "Hermione, do you know any spells that would help?"

She shook her head. "I've not seen anything in a book we could use, nothing that doesn't require substantial practise before even attempting it."

"Children, get out of the way!" Dumbledore's voice boomed as he ran toward them with Snape on his heels. "Go back to your dorms. We'll handle things from here."

"Yes sir," they all chimed, but neither of the teachers heard. Dumbledore shot something from his wand and the two professors burst into the room. Rory followed her two friends back to their common room, not wanting to be alone with her worry.

They flopped onto the big fluffy couch and just looked at each other in silence as they digested the severity of the dreadful events of the afternoon.

"Do you think it's true?" Rory whispered finally. "Harry said something about Voldemort being back. Is it true?"

"Well Harry says it is and Cedric's.... oh Merlin, poor Cedric." Hermione broke into fresh sobs.

They fell back into silence again as they watched the flames lick the darkness of the fireplace.

Rory couldn't help feeling guilty for the way she had frozen Harry out. She had only been thinking of herself and her feelings, while Harry had only tried to warn her of what could happen to anyone who loved Harry, who he loved in return. Seeing Cedric's body lying on the ground motionless, with Harry's tears dripping onto him and hearing his painful screams, "He's back!" ringing in her ears forced her to wake up and see the reality of something bigger than her love for Harry, crashing down around her.

When they got word that he was in the hospital wing, Rory trudged through the halls until they were there standing, waiting to find out if they were okay to see him. Madame Pomfrey bustled out, motioning for them to go in and see Harry. The three rushed in and each in turn gave Harry a hug.

"I'm so sorry," Rory whispered, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's okay. I'm fine" Harry whispered.

"I meant for everything. How I've treated you, was not right. I'm sorry." She pulled back and was violently brushing away tears.

"I know. It's okay. It hasn't been easy for you, either. I shouldn't shut you out, so much." Harry tried to sit up, but winced with agony from the effort.

"Just rest Harry," Hermione chastised.

"Harry, I know now what you were trying to protect me from and I understand." Rory explained.

Harry took in the hazy image of the beautiful girl that was standing before him. "I love you, Rory, so much." He took her hand.

"I know you do, and I love you, too Harry. I just want you to know I'm not going to push you anymore. You have enough to deal with, but I will always be here, for when you are ready to start again, I mean when all of this is over." She let his hand go and stood back.

"Hey, Mate. You did it! You won!" Ron stepped forward. His eyes were beaming with Envy. "Eternal Glory is yours, Mate."

"Yeah," Harry muttered glumly. "Eternal Glory." He stared off into the distance, his thoughts consumed with the image of Cedric's body on the ground, with Mr Diggory crying for his only son, his hopes and dreams dashed in a single moment at the hands of Voldemort. It was Harry he had wanted. Cedric had been an extra bonus, for the dark wizard to discard like a defective toy. It was because of Harry he had been there and it was because of Harry he was killed, as far as Harry was concerned. It was Harry, not Voldemort who would be left with the scar of that horrific moment when the green light shot from Voldemort's wand into Cedric.

His mind turned to Rory and he couldn't bear the thought that she might suffer the fate, just for loving him. "You guys have to believe me. Voldemort's back! He's stronger than ever now and it's only going to get worse."


End file.
